Chase's Pain
by Allstarry707
Summary: A perfect plan. After Annabeth's reputation is ruined and she can no longer take having a womanizer as a best friend, what will she do when Thalia comes up with the perfect plan? It can fix Annabeth's reputation and revert him back to his old, caring self. But there's only one problem: Annabeth would have to date and dump her best friend, Percy Jackson. Will she really risk it all?
1. Another Year Over

**AN: I am on a roll this week! Hah, I updated Only Thirty Days, did a good job with my speech for school, and guess what guys? My one shot, Ample in An Era of Affection and Bonds won the contest! I think that's pretty cool, hah. Alright, back to business:**

**So, I would like to thank: _FrenchGirl123, LightningStars77, Mysterious Percabeth Fan, Bikerhead6969, Lory, It's just me, xAKUROKUx, Annabethrules120, Tajee165, anon, flyofan14, Forbidden Daughter of Artemis, Kiransomers, Agent Astro Zombie, AthenaGray15, Dydery-M.C.W - Lulunoel, RavenclowSeeker19_ for taking the time to review before._  
><em>I won't be replying to reviews this time around, but I will for the rest of the story.  
><strong>

**Heyy, so this is the rewriting/restarting of Chase's Pain. A few aspects of it will be the same, like the "plan," but there are going to be some noticeable differences. While the beginning is the same, the rest of the chapter is not the same as the rest of the original first chapter. Sorry for the language; all chapters won't have as much as this. I hope you all enjoy.**

**xx.**

**~Jam.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>"I remember what you wore on the first day<br>You came into my life and I thought, hey  
>You know this could be something" - Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift<br>**

**.  
><strong>

**Chase's Pain  
><strong>

**Chapter 1**

**Another Year Over**

**...  
><strong>

There is one thing to be known about Annabeth Chase: she's been hurt. And as much as she loves to be the strongest person out there, the one that never gets hurt, she can't, but no one seems to have noticed. To go through every time Annabeth was broken down, well, that would be another story, but it's best to start out at the beginning; she was first broken down when her mother left. Being that young, she didn't remember much. It was all shaded by the veil of her tears. Her father yelled. Her mother yelled. She cried. As the door slammed shut, Annabeth knew she would never see her mother again, but it didn't mean she couldn't hope.

Every mother's day, she sat there at the dining room table with an apple; she remembered her mother's favorite fruit as being an apple, and next to her apple was a stuff owl, the one her mother gave her saying that knowledge of all things would never fail her. She later learned it to be true. As each year passed, Annabeth sat there and not even her father could make her budge that entire day. It wasn't until she was 8 that she left that chair, that place; her father got married to a woman. A woman who was not her mother.

Although at 8, Annabeth knew at that moment she herself had lost her father. The very man that she thought she would never lose. He was smart, intelligent, even; a genius in Annabeth's mind but that was his failing moment. Six years after her first Mother's Day alone, Annabeth dropped flower petals down the spotless aisle as her father gave his undying love to another. "You may kiss the bride" sounded all around and everyone stood to clap and applause while tears gently fell down their cheeks. Everyone oohed and awed and gently smiled when they saw the tears silently falling down Annabeth's cheeks. They all commented on how mature she was that she could cry for such a happy moment; they spoke of how she would get a new mother, how she would have that place filled again for her mother, but no one saw the true sadness behind those gray orbs, how they no longer seemed to have that spark. Except for the one boy sitting on the hard, wooden bench, with the keen, sea green eyes. Those sea green eyes were the only ones that still saw the spark.

...

**Annabeth's POV**

_5 minutes left. _As much as I love learning, I can honestly say that I'm happy to get to leave this place in a few minutes. After more than a hundred days of being with all the people in high school, I'm pretty happy just to get away from it all. Sure, I have my friends who are the reason that I make it through each day of high school, but I know that summer will only have the best for us. Or, so I can hope.

"You ready, Wise Girl?" Percy. My best friend for, well I can't even count for how long, whispers into my ear. I shiver slightly as his hot breath tickled my neck, "Because, I sure am." The air that hit against my neck came out in puffs; I could only guess that he was chuckling at his own response.

As much as I love Percy, as a best friend, might I add, he doesn't have the best reputation. Well, he doesn't have a good reputation at all, if I'm completely honest. With the messy black hair that covers his piercing sea green eyes, almost no girls can resist him; I can resist him, though. For that reason, it's been years that Percy's had a new girlfriend every week to two weeks. I don't even think the longest in the past years has lasted two weeks, more like twelve days. My friends and I have a joke about the 'Percy Countdown;' sometimes, they make a bet as to when he breaks up with the girl this time, after however many days. Since I think it's cruel, I don't participate in it.

I feel his fingers drumming on the back of my shoulders, in time with the seconds ticking down. _3 minutes left._ For a second when I blink, I can see the smirk that's probably played out on his face as he knows how much I absolutely hate when anyone does that. Sighing, I let my hand land into the curls of my hair, wondering if he really plans to go on for the entire time. The right corner of his lips is probably lifting slightly but only so much that it looks like a mischievous smirk, not a happy one. More than likely, he's attempting to flip the messy hair out of his eyes, always shaking his head to the left: never the right. I know for a fact that he's using his index and middle fingers to tap my shoulders; he always uses two fingers. Okay, when you've been friends with the Seaweed Brain for so long, you can't help noticing the small things like that about him. There's _nothing_ more to it, so don't even think about it like that. Plus, it's hard not to pick up on those things when you're getting annoyed with what he's doing.

He went on using me as a human drum for the rest of the time. _15 seconds left. _Now, there's freedom within my grips, almost palpable. His chin rests on my shoulder, _10 seconds left._ "Ah yes, say goodbye to our junior year, Annie."

"Shut it," I bite down on my lips, avoiding yelling at him that I _hate_ being called Annie. Of course, that would simply make him laugh and only then make me smile; he would feel like he won because I smiled.

"Never," his head rubs against the side of my face, "you know I only do it to make you smile."

I know he does, but that doesn't mean I have to love it. "Doesn't mean I like it," I grit out, glancing at the clock.

"5 seconds, Wise Girl, and it's just you and me, again." His chin lifts off my shoulder, and for some reason, the spot feels cold as if he took all warmth with him. I shake it off. It must just be that they turned the A.C. up. "4." His voice is further away. "3." Although farther away, his voice gets louder. "2," he's practically yelling now. "1," the rest of the class joins in.

Smiling, I decide to join in as well, "0."

"Oh yeah, I am free from this hell hole," I can hear Percy bellow from behind me, as high fives are being passed around. Even though I wouldn't be that blunt, I feel the same way that he does. I'm finally free, away from all the people that I couldn't stand being another day around.

While I grab my books, I see Percy tumble out the door with the football team. Sighing, I remember how during the summer, starting now, I will have Percy to myself without his entire reputation. It'd be nice to see _that_ Percy during school, but I know that I'll never see that one. Standing up, I bump into one of the hockey players, mumbling a "sorry," as I keep my head down.

"Watch it, Prostichase," he sneers before pushing past me out the classroom. He's the last person to leave, and now, I'm alone.

But really, I've been alone since Percy left the room. I can be in a crowd of people, all my peers, yet feel like I'm sitting in an empty room. When Percy's there, it could be just the two of us, and I'll never feel that loneliness and emptiness that I'm feeling now. Plus, it doesn't help when my last name has been mashed together with the word prostitute. I can assure you that I'm not a prostitute, not that it matters to any of them. To them, I'm simply a girl who supposedly pays guys to date her; I know, it's not what a prostitute does, but the brilliant kids of Goode High think that it is. Another reason as to why I'm happy to be gone for a few months.

The real reason I'm so happy to be out of the summer is, well, Percy. Not the arrogant Percy but the Seaweed Brain Percy. My Seaweed Brain Percy.

...

**Percy's POV**

Being pulled out of the classroom, I didn't even get sight of Annabeth before I left. Sure, these guys are my friends, but they're not Annabeth, my best friend. "So Perce," we stand against the side of the school, the wall, watching all the freshmen basically throw their papers in the air, "who's next?" The guy that asks chugs down a monster, throwing the can at one of the guys who ducks away from it. It lands in the ground; they don't care, of course.

They're talking about what girl I'll date next. The last one was Rachel, a girl with red, frizzy hair, kind of like she had rubbed a balloon on it before going to school. I wouldn't describe her as pretty, but she's been fawning over me for the past year so I gave her a chance; we lasted eight days before I had to drop her. She basically begged me to change my mind and take her back. Over and over, she kept saying how she would do anything that I wanted; I get tired of girls throwing themselves at me like that. "Dunno," I frown at every girl that passes, "I'm thinkin' I'll ride solo over the summer."

They all laugh, slapping me on the shoulder or upside the head, "Has _the_ Percy Jackson finally fallen in love with one of his victims?" Mitch, a larger guy that plays wide receiver, taunts me. "Or, is it one of those people?" He cocks his head towards Thalia and Juniper, along with Piper and Annabeth. I know they don't see me, or at least they act like they don't see me. None of their eyes even glance in my direction, not even the grey ones. I'm happy for that, somewhat; I know how much it hurts Annabeth to see me around these guys, acting like this, yet I would have liked to at least send a silent apology to her.

"I bet it's Prostichase," one of them throws in.

"Oh yeah, she'll probably pay, ya' man, just to get in your pants," they all snicker, fist bumping each other. I don't really care when they talk about other girls like that; I don't love it, but it's different when it's Annabeth. They know better than to mess with her.

"Hey, leave her outta it, alright?" I kick the back of my heel against the brick wall, knocking the mud off my Pumas. I'm mainly doing it to get my anger out without punching one of the guys. They're not worth a suspension the next year or being arrested for assault.

They don't take me seriously which only makes me madder. "Alright, alright, we know you wouldn't even let her take your shirt off, man." Mark pushes me to the side. The rest of the guys throw out 'ooh's' and 'oh yeah, man,' as Mark pretends to bow to them. He thinks he's a class act, when he's pretty much a class ass. I don't know why I even hang out with these guys; I didn't start until eighth grade when some stuff happened and I first played football. Football wasn't my thing, but for some reason, the 'friends' I made still stuck. I'll be the first to say they're dumbasses.

I know I should say something to protect Annabeth; Annabeth is my best friend, no matter what. But it's more than a 'should,' I want to say something to stand up for her. I just have to. "I'd be lucky if she let me," I grunt out, before stalking off from them. They probably heard cause they're dead silent, not even walking with me. It's true though: Annabeth would never do any of the things that half the rumors say about her. It's all cause of her ass of an ex-boyfriend that started it all.

"Aw, man, little Percy is gettin' protective over the prostitute," Mark yells after me, daring me to turn around. I can feel his eyes boring into the back of my head. "I never knew he had a thing for prosti-nerds." The rest of the guys laugh. I seriously don't remember why I hang out with them, especially when they do this stuff about Annabeth.

Turning around, I meet Mark's amused stare. "Yeah, what about Drew who's been offering to dump you for me?" I know it's uncalled for, but it pisses me off when they say things about Annabeth. Plus, Mark doesn't even realize how many times Drew has told me she would dump him to date me. For one, I'm not attracted to her so I said no, and two, I considered Mark a friend until this point. Right now, I'm pretty close to beating the living daylights out of him.

"Hey, stay away from her," he steps towards me, "and chill out man, stop makin' up lies. It's just Prostichase." He shrugs, not even realizing that I'm not lying about Drew.

"Annabeth, her name's Annabeth," I state icily, "and I'll leave Drew out of it when you leave Annabeth out of it."

"Prostichase, Annabeth Chase, same thing," he says, smirking back at the guys behind him.

"Grow up, Mark. She's not a prostitute," I step towards him, now in an arm's length, "and you're still the idiot." Pushing him back, I walk off to my Jeep, remembering how I had plans to hang out with Annabeth and the rest of our friends. Our friends don't include Mark and his gang. Walking to the lot, I expect Mark to make another jab or call me something, but instead, he shuts up, finally, not even following me.

There's one thing that I'll never allow: no one will mess with Annabeth Chase as long as I'm around.

...

**Annabeth's POV**

I play with the edge of the cover up as the rest of the gang splashes in the water. Percy had driven us here in his Jeep while my other friend, Silena, a senior, brought the rest of the gang minus the Stolls who brought themselves. In total, we make up 12 people: Charlie Beckondorf, Silena Beuragard, Piper Mclean, Jason Grace, Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Grover Underwood, Travis and Connor Stoll, Nico DeAngelo, Percy, and me. It's normal for us to hang out at the beach, and no one questions me anymore as to why I never actually swim. I know that Percy's worried about me whenever we go swimming since he's always reluctant to get into the water without me. Since he loves the water though, it doesn't take that long to convince him to get in, yet he always seems to only be distracted.

I don't mind not swimming, really. It's a pretty good time for me to sketch out some blueprints for the internship that I have at my mother's old business. It's basically a group of architects that get hired by a large number of people: from celebrities to simply rich businessmen that want their house designed well; as much as I love architecture, I didn't want to go there. It was my dad's idea, and I couldn't say no when he finally seemed to care about me again. Sighing, I let the graphite make a precise line to be the side of my imaginary building. As of late, I haven't been getting any real jobs to do there since they all can see how much it bothers me to simply be where my mom used to go.

Although my mom was one of the best architects, no one expects me to be as great as her. I'm always working to create something that I know will wow them: something that my mother couldn't even create. Pushing the hair out of my face, I continue to craft an imaginary building that I know will never be built. It's a dome shape; it's actually an aquarium since I seem to be more and more interested in their architecture. I blame it on Percy; he's practically obsessed with marine life and drags me along with him to every aquarium in the state of New York. Literally, we've been to every single one, and his face still lights up like a little kid in a candy story. Not that I would ever admit it to him, it's cute. Plus, he's my best friend so I can't think of him as being _cute._

"How's it goin'?" Nico, one of my closer friends, plops down next to me in the sand. Most people think him to be 'emo' or 'goth,' nonetheless he's actually one of the happiest people I know; he just doesn't show it especially after his sister died. As odd as it might sound, we bonded over the loss of loved ones, making us the friends we are now.

"As good as it will ever go," I mutter, not even looking up at the dark haired boy.

Chuckling, he tosses me my kneaded eraser, "I think it doesn't look too shabby."

"There's only a line, Nico," I can feel a smile crack onto my face. Being Percy's cousin, Nico reminds me of Percy a lot of the time. That's probably another reason as to why we're so close.

"One hell of a line," he drops his wet towel on my head before lying out in the sand. "Oh, sorry," he pretends to have just notice that he dropped the towel on me when I fling it in his face. He deserved that.

I know that his point in dropping the towel on my head was to make me actually chill out. It was the first day of summer vacation, anyways, and I'm here working on, well, work. Sighing, I put away the blueprints, leaning against the umbrella, "What?"

"Nothin'," Nico breaks his gaze away from me. Scratching his head, he shakes the water out being sure to spray me with some of it, "Like a quick dip in the ocean for ya'." Pausing, he sits up next to me as I pull my legs into my chest, "How're you and Perce?"

"Fine," I mumble. It's fairly obvious that we're not now. After Percy left the classroom earlier in the day, I haven't talked to him, and he hasn't made the effort to talk to me. In fact, when he picked me up to come here, it was deathly silent between the two of us. I don't know what happened between then and now, but it had to be something.

Shaking his head, Nico's gaze drifts off to the rest of the gang in the water, "I'm not blind. Anyone can see that somethin's goin' on with you two. Practically another person hanging out with us now: there's so much tension." He smirks at me, challenging me to make a comment that would outsmart what he said.

I have nothing.

"Hey Nico, why don't you get back in the water or something?" A deep voice resonates from the shadow that's being cast over me. Giving me one last look, Nico makes his way back to the water with the rest of the gang. Well, everyone except for me and the shadow. Nico shouldn't have to be down because of me; it's probably a good thing that he can get away from me. The shadow lies next to me, turning its head towards me "So, I can't convince you to jump in the water?"

"No," I state simply. I can't say that I'm mad at him, but I'm definitely not happy.

His green eyes tried to meet my gaze, but I turned my head further away, "You never told me why you don't swim." I knew he wasn't asking me to tell him; he never does. He never forces me to do anything that I don't want to do. It's something that I will probably always like about him, as a friend I mean. But even if he were my enemy, I would always like at least that one trait about him.

Sighing, I mutter, "It doesn't matter." I'm just not ready to tell anyone why I don't swim anymore. They'll never understand it, and I don't need it getting around, starting more rumors about me.

"C'mon, Wise Girl," I let my eyes flicker to his, seeing the softness in them that I've never seen in them around anyone else except for his mom, "you know it does matter."

"It doesn't," I say. Out of all the people, I know that Percy might be the only person that would understand, yet I just can't bring myself to tell him. I let my eyes move away from his face before he can sucker me into telling him. There's always been something about his knowing eyes that pulls me in and removes my inhibitions.

"Sure it does," I'm about to argue it, but he continues. "What kind of best friend would I be if it didn't matter to me?"

There he goes again, making an offhand comment that I'm not at all expecting. It's always something sweet or kind that reminds me why he's my best friend. Around me, I never see the cocky Percy that I've heard so much about; at least, when he is cocky, he's just joking around with me. It's completely different than Percy, himself, being cocky. "A great one right now."

His laughs come out in small spurts until we're both full on laughing. We both know how preposterous my idea is, and Percy laughing always brings me to laugh. Slowly, the laughter dies down leaving us in silence. I cringe, wondering if this will be the awkward silence that we almost never experience. Normally, we can both say nothing yet know what the other one is thinking. Right now, I'm not too sure if that ESP is working; I can't tell what he's thinking. I tense, feeling his head rest against my leg, "If you don't like being here, at the beach, then why do you go?"

I'm afraid to look into his eyes. I'm afraid that he'll see the hurt and pain that flashes behind them; I've never been able to keep my emotions out of my eyes. Well, I can, but Percy can always see it pass across them. Pausing, I consider how exactly to word what I want to say. I'm never at a loss for words except for when I don't want to mention something in the first place. That happens to be the case this time.

He can probably sense it because he chuckles, "Remember when you used to tease me?"

"Oh, you mean like earlier today?" I smirk, slapping his hand away that he lifts to drum on me with. For a while, we get into a mini 'fight' where I'm slapping his hand away, and he's attempting a surprise attack. This is normally where Thalia says something about how Percy makes me unbelievably immature, and I always scoff at that. Sure, we both act like five year olds sometimes, but there's something so nice about not needing to be serious; it's one of the few times where I don't need to be the 'mature' girl that everyone applauds me for being.

When he finally gives up, I slide down to lay next to him. "What's wrong?" I see the frown that's on his face from the corner of my eye. "…Between us," he adds in quietly.

There's no way I can lie without him being able to tell. I've never been able to do that with him around, especially not when he can see my facial expression. And if I'm completely honest, a part of me wants to tell him so that he puts his arm around my shoulder and tells me how I'm his best friend; how I'll always be his best friend, and no matter what nothing will get in the way of that. "Mark," I whisper, gazing up at the orange shades that mix into the sky.

"Oh," he pauses. More than likely, he's thinking how to work out whatever he wants to say in his head. I let my eyes close and can see the few wrinkles that are appearing between his brows right now. His top teeth capture his bottom lip rolling his top lip over his teeth and bottom lip, and his eyes become unfocussed. _Classic Percy_, I inwardly smile when I open my eyes to see that exact expression on his face. "I know you hate them." His eyes focus on me, reflecting the gold hue off of the sky.

"I have good reason," I sigh, seeing my breath blow a few strands of his messy hair off his brow. Turning completely on my side, I prop my head up on my hand.

"You do," he frowns blinking a few times, "and I know it hurts you when I hang out with them." He's right; they're some of the biggest… jerks to me in the entire school, yet he still goes and hangs out with them instead of me sometimes. "I don't know why I hang out with them, Annabeth." His eyes roam over my face before locking with mine again, "I know I'm different during school. It's just…It's just that…"

"You don't want them to see this Percy," I smile slightly, pushing the messy hair from in front of his eyes. I hate talking to him when I can't see the sea green due to his curtain of hair. Quickly, I see something I can't place pass over his eyes when I reach out to move the hair, but it's gone as fast as it was there. "You don't want them to know you care."

"Yeah," his eyes look over my shoulder, "but when it comes to you, I think they know I care." His voice softens, before sitting up. I'm close to questioning what he means. He cares? Well, we're best friends and all, but how would they know anything about how he cares for me? I mean, Percy's never been the one to express his emotions so I doubt he went around saying how I'm his best friend. Opening my mouth, he beats me to talking, "Look, if they bug you again, tell me, alright?" He starts to stand, casting his shadow over me again.

"I don't –"

"Need a protector. Yeah. Yeah," a small smile forms across his lips, and I can't help noticing he licks his bottom lip in doing so. I've known these lips for years, and I often wonder how they can be the same lips of the boy that's unbelievably arrogant at school. "Just sometimes, let me be there for you, alright? You don't have to fight every battle on your own, Wise Girl. Even Hercules needed some help sometimes," his hand extends towards me as he cocks his head towards the water. "If you're not gonna get in the water, you can at least walk by it." I frown at his hand, "C'mon, Annabeth, just let me help you in some way. No one's gonna think you're weak just because you let me help you get up."

I smile.

I gently smile and accept his hand, but I know I've just agreed to more than that.

...

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><p><strong>AN: Whoo, the first chapter's done, hah. I know that Nico came off a bit nicer in this one than the previous version, but I can promise that the joking Nico will come out too. Ah, I like this friendship that's between Annabeth and Percy right now. 'Course, what Percabeth story would it be if that didn't become something more.<strong>

**I'd love to know what you guys think of the new version; I'm sorry to those that didn't want me to rewrite the story. I hope you're okay with this version, too. Maybe sometime, I'll go back and write a story with the idea of the previous version but change it up a bit?**

**Review? They really make my day.**

**~ Jam.**

**{edited May 5th}  
><strong>


	2. Nothing Gold Can Stay

**AN: Man, due to life circumstances, I haven't had the chance to update, but here I am, back in the flesh. Hope you guys enjoy.**

**Thank you to: **_**C-Nuggets N.L,**__**MaGgIe LeRmAn, blue-skies-green-eyes, anon, Bikerhead6969, Geeky Tiki Taylor, Fluffy Bunnies Are So Cute, .Percy**__** Jackson, Percabethforever234, camille4428, Silent-Ninja x, anon, fireballer23, it's just me, storyteller1425, XOsweetPURPLEcandyOX, seaweedbrainwisegirl202, hartsweet, booklover484, Miette in the Rain, Empty Thoughts, Child of Wisdom, **_**for taking the time ****to review. They really make my day. I'm so glad that you guys like this, and I will definitely take you suggestions into consideration.**

***anonymous review replies at the end***

**Just to address something really quickly, if you reviewed this story beforehand, (a signed review/logged in,) then you won't be able to review that chapter with the same long in. So, if you really wanted to review or tell me something, then PM me, or use a different log in, or do it anonymously, (without logging in) and I will include you in the list of reviewers (even if you PM me it), as I did already for one person.**

**Okayy, hope you guys enjoy.**

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><p>"<strong>This is how my story went<br>I met someone by accident." – Hiding My Heart by Adele**

**.  
><strong>

**Chapter 2**

**Nothing Gold Can Stay  
><strong>

**...  
><strong>

**Annabeth's POV  
><strong>

I can hear my knife scrape against the plate as I go to cut into the last bit of my omelet. At each scratching sound, I cringe, hoping my stepmom won't throw down her newspaper and go off on me. To say the least, we don't have the best relationship, but I normally pretend that I love her when my younger brothers are around. Since they're not in the house, I have no reason to pretend anymore; they did some father-son bonding stuff with my dad today.

"How are they?" Christine peers from over her newspaper at the knife that's slicing open the omelet she had cooked for me. I avoid her gaze, keeping my eyes on the eggs.

"Fine," I say, being sure to not give her the satisfaction of knowing that I like her cooking. No matter how much I want her gone, I can't argue with the fact that she's a very good cook, much better than my dad.

"Mhm," she sighs before folding away the newspaper. "I was thinking, since the boys and Frederick are out today, we could-"

"Already have plans," I place the last piece of omelet in my mouth before scooting my chair out to place the plate in the sink. It is true though: I do have plans. I swear I hear her mutter something under her breath, but I just can't seem to catch it.

"Do you want me to drive you to…?" With my back to her, I can almost imagine the pleading look she has in her eyes. I don't know why, but for some reason, Christine seems set on making a relationship with me. She probably thinks that if she has a relationship with me, then she will have a better chance of staying with my father.

"Percy's driving me," I state while running the plate and fork under the water. Smiling slightly, I remember how the water felt running over my feet as I walked along the shore with Percy two days ago. Then, I cringe recalling how Percy wants to protect me, as if I can't take care of myself.

"Percy," she lets the name roll off her tongue, and I practically hear the suggestive glance she's giving me in her tone. "You're…" she pauses, and I turn off the water, "…friend."

"Right?" I question, never sure why any of my family can't believe that Percy and I are just friends. We've always been just friends, just best friends. For some reason, though, my family and his expect us to start dating, become high school sweethearts, and get married. If you ask me, they're delusional; I mean, Percy doesn't like me, and well, Percy's my best friend.

"Where are you going?" I turn around to meet my step mom's gaze, unsure of why she's taking so much interest in my life. My dad's not around for her to see this, so I would prefer it if she acted like we'd never even met before much less live under the same roof.

"What difference does it make?" I answer her question with a question, not at all pleased with her apparent interest in knowing my every whereabouts.

Her eyes softened while I break my gaze from her, looking out the window. "Annabeth," I hear a creak meaning that she must be getting out of her chair, "I care about you like you're my own dau-"

Thankfully, the doorbell rings, and I walk past her to the door. Knowing that it's probably Percy, I grab my phone before opening the door. His warm smile greets me, his hands resting in his pockets. Looking past me, he raises his hand in acknowledgement before saying "Hey, Mrs. Chase." More than likely he can catch me cringe out of his peripheral vision because a small smirk plays across his face for a split second; he knows how much it bugs me when he acts all civil towards her.

"Percy," her voice sounds too sweet, "how are you?"

"Good, Mrs. Chase. You?" Again, he acts much too polite for my liking, not even meeting my begging gaze. I would rather not stick around until Christine decides to interrogate Percy as to where we're going.

"I'm good, thank you, Percy." She says, the smile in her voice ever apparent. More than likely, she enjoys talking to a teenager that actually acts as if he likes her. "So, when will Annabeth be back?"

"Tomorrow," I raise my eyebrows at him, myself not even aware that I'm staying over his house, "bright and early. Well, we should probably be going. Don't want to be late." _Late?_ What's there to be late for? From what I knew, we were just going to do our normal hanging out then he would drop me off back at my place. "See yah," he practically pulls me out the door, waving to Christine.

"Tomorrow?" I question him, walking to his jeep.

"You know," he pauses to open the door for me, "the thing that comes after today. And also, it's not that hard to be nice to her. You should try it sometime."

"I'm sleeping over?" I ignore his _witty_ comment, getting down to the root of this whole discussion. It had been awhile since Percy and I had a sleepover. After, well, puberty started to set in, the whole sleepover thing ended as my dad wasn't too gong-ho on them. It's probably a good thing that my dad doesn't know about it since he would probably come to Percy's house and drag me out of it.

"Yep," he pops the 'p,' closing the door after me. I watch as he walks to the other side of the jeep, wondering why exactly I'm sleeping over his house. I mean, I don't have a problem with it, but normally, Percy doesn't just spring things on me like that. Sure, he can be spontaneous and all, but he knows that I'm not a big fan of surprises.

"I figured you'd want to get out of your house due to the whole thing with your brothers and dad being out," he says while buckling his seatbelt. Sometimes, I forget how well he truly knows me. "Plus, I need your help."

Help? He starts the car, pulling out of my driveway. Why would Percy need my help? There's not much for me to do. I mean, he never asks for my advice or anything for dates or something along those lines, and he surely doesn't ask for my help when it comes to sports; it's not that I'm bad at sports or anything, but he prefers to act macho and not ask me for advice on those. So, what could there be? Going through a checklist of important dates, I know it's neither his birthday nor anyone else's in his family nor is it any other important day. "Help?"

"Yeah, help," he smirks at me in the rearview mirror. "Grab that," his hand points to a sheet of paper in the cup holder of his jeep. Glancing at me again, he can probably see the confused and skeptical expression playing off my face. "C'mon, it's not gonna bite, Wise Girl, it's just paper."

"Shut up," I mumble, while taking the paper and unfolding it. Raising my eyebrows, I take in the messy writing of Percy: the slanted letters, lazily scratched out, yet not as messy as normal.

"Read it aloud," his eyes flicker to me quickly before back onto the road.

"Nothing Gold Can Stay.

Nature's first green is gold,  
>Her hardest hue to hold.<br>Her early leaf's a flower;  
>But only so an hour.<br>Then leaf subsides to leaf.  
>So Eden sank to grief,<br>So dawn goes down to day.  
>Nothing gold can stay.<p>

By Robert Frost," I read aloud, confused as to why Percy is having me read this. "A poem?"

"Yeah," he pulls into his driveway, the car embarking up it, "I figured you would like it." I watch his face as he concentrates on parallel parking, not sure of what to say to that. Percy, sure he has his sweet side, isn't the type of guy to get into any poetry or _romantic _stuff, normally. The last time he was like that was…well, when he was really down and hurt. Though, it wasn't anything romantic that he was into but things about love and not lasting because of wanting to feel comfort. I don't think this poem is romantic, though, for a second. "Do you? … You know, like it?"

He wakes me out of his stupor, his green eyes piercing my grey, "Yeah, I do." I bite my lip slightly, breaking my gaze away from his. As much I like the poem, it makes me sad to think of what it's implying, how _Nothing gold can stay._

"Don't worry," he unbuckles his seatbelt and opens his door before turning to me, "I'm not falling into depression again or anything." He chuckles lightly before getting out of his jeep and shutting the door. For some reason, it scares me how Percy can lightly chuckle after mentioning how he had once fallen into a pit of depression for months on end. Each day, I was scared as to whether or not he would still be there, be alive, but thankfully, he was. Day by day, he seemed to come back to life, yet some things were just never the same. "Wise Girl, I'm not gonna hold this door open for you all day." His smirk grows just a tad bit bigger when he realizes that I was zoning out, "Thinkin' about me?"

"You wish," I roll my eyes, getting out his jeep. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Babysitting Tyson," he shrugs, letting the door close. "Ma said she didn't want me babysitting Tyson alone because she still doesn't trust me with the oven. I don't get why she trusts you with it though," he scratches his head, while locking the car doors.

"Seriously?" I raise my eyebrows, following him towards his house, "Do you remember when you almost burned your entire house because you thought the dial for the stove eye was the one for the oven?"

"Hey," we enter his house through the garage door, "they look a lot alike, okay?" He pauses to smirk at me, holding the door open. "Maybe it was a good idea to have you over, after all. I doubt my mom would want Tyson using the oven since she doesn't even trust me." When I roll my eyes, he only grins, "Tyson, Ma, and Paul have missed you," his gaze breaks from me before he continues, "and I can't say that I haven't missed having you around, too."

Again, he goes with one of his offhand comments that I just don't know how to take. A part of me feels, just, yeah, just feels yeah. I don't know what you'd call it, but there's something nice in knowing that he has missed me – that my best friend has missed having me around. "Don't get sappy on me, Percy." I joke, making sure that I don't blush with how sweet his comment was. He knows that whenever someone compliments me, I can't help but blush.

"Too late, Wise Girl," he wiggles his eyebrows before putting his arm around my shoulder. "We're here," he calls up the stairs, only for footfalls to bound down them shortly.

"Annabeth," a small, yet tall for his age, boy comes tumbling down the stairs to hug me around the waist. "I've missed you," his grinning face raises up to meet mine.

"I've missed you too, Tyson," I smile at the little boy who has the same messy hair as Percy only a lighter brown. He's pretty tall for a six year old, and I've genuinely missed the little guy. "How've you been?" I sit on the stairs while he crawls into my lap.

"Good," he rubs his head into my neck, "Percy didn't stop talking about you." I chuckle slightly as he rambles on and on about how much he's missed me and everything he's done since I've been gone. If I'm honest, I somewhat stopped listening after he said _Percy didn't stop talking about you._ I mean, there's really not that much to say about me, and I know that Percy and I weren't as close earlier in the school year but him talk about me? I just really never thought that it would matter that much to him. Sure, we were best friends, but it's not like best friends don't go a few days without talking to each other.

...

**Percy's POV**

I cringe every time Tyson mentions how I would talk to him about missing Annabeth. I love my little brother, but seriously, he needs to learn when to stop talking – I guess that's the problem with six year olds. Really, he doesn't have to tell Annabeth _everything._

"And, and, and, and," Tyson's practically jumping on her lap now, "Percy said that he hates Luke. Cause he-"

"Alright," I scratch my head, making sure that Tyson doesn't go as far as mentioning _why_ I hate Luke because, well, Annabeth doesn't need to know that, and I know how much it hurts her when people bring him up, "What do you say you go get Mom and tell her we're here?"

"Yes, Captain," he salutes me before running up the stairs.

Sitting down, I take a spot next to Annabeth on the stairs while she grins at me widely. "Hm, I had no idea you missed me so much, Seaweed Brain." I glance over at her for a second, only to catch her grey eyes sparkling. It's not every day that you see Annabeth looking so, well, so happy.

Knowing that I was the source of her happiness, I shrug, "You never asked." And even if she had, I doubt I would have actually told her how much I had missed having her around. It's somewhat embarrassing that I can't even go a week without seeing Annabeth and not miss her.

"I didn't think I had to," she pushes my arm slightly before leaning against the banister to look at me. "So, what's the real reason you had me over? I mean, I know that your mom finally trusts you with an oven." Her eyebrows rise slightly at me, challenging me to even attempt to not tell her.

"What, I can't hang out with my best friend over the summer?" I ask, mocking her by raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms over my chest. Knowing that she'll only want me to tell her more, I frown, "I've just missed having you around. It's just been awhile, you know?"

Cocking her head to the side, "Yeah, you hung out with Mike and your girlfriends over the school year."

"Annabeth-"

"Aw, Annabeth, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" My mom smiles coming down the stairs towards us. Annabeth and I both stand up, avoiding looking at each other. I know that we need to have a conversation about Mike and well my ex-girlfriends, but in front of my mom definitely isn't the time. I figure it'll come soon enough.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," Annabeth smiles shyly, before being pulled into a hug by my mom. Since Annabeth's back is now to me, my mom shoots me a glare which I'm not even sure why I got. It's not like it's my fault that my mom hasn't seen Annabeth or anything like that.

"Okay," my mom pulls away and begins going into a list of stuff that Annabeth needs to know in order to take care of Tyson. I've already heard the list multiple times today, so I figure hearing it another time won't help me at all. Either I know what I need to know or I don't. Plus, with Annabeth here, I know for a fact that she will remember anything that I happen to forget. It's really not that hard to zone out considering the fact that Annabeth's there. Alright, I know she's my best friend and all, but that doesn't mean I can't find her somewhat attractive, maybe more than somewhat. I notice the way that her hair's pulled back away from her face, but a few strands still fall in front of her eye causing her to blow them away. Whenever she finds anything slightly interesting, her eyebrows raise a millimeter as they always do when she's amused. But, my favorite is the way that her grey eyes light up when she chuckles or laughs, generally only when it's something that truly amuses her. The same happens when she smiles. "Got it, Percy?" My mom turns back to me, causing me to break my gaze away from Annabeth.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Alright, I'm assuming she just said the same thing she has been saying for hours, okay? 'Cause I've heard that enough times to have it down somewhat pat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Annabeth hold back a laugh; I guess she knows that I wasn't paying attention at all.

"Probably a good thing Annabeth's here," I hear my mom mumble before her and Paul say bye, heading out the door. Though, they didn't head out the door without giving Tyson, Annabeth, and me a hug as well as some last reminders about not eating stuff from under the couch yada yada. For some reason, I think that last part was directed towards me, neither Tyson nor Annabeth. Don't ask me why; I don't eat the stuff that's under our couch.

Once they were out the door, Tyson was pretty much leading Annabeth around anywhere and everywhere. I, on the other hand, just sat back and watched Annabeth get dragged around by a six year old. Every so often, Annabeth's gaze would meet mine, and I could truly tell that she was happy; I've missed seeing her, this happy. She's my best friend and all, and after the last year or so, it seems like she hasn't been this happy in a long while. That's something that I will always hate Luke for: making Annabeth's life just a bit more miserable. Hearing the doorbell ring, I break my gaze away from Annabeth to open the door, thinking that it might be Thalia, Nico, or someone like them.

"Hey, cus," Nico walks in but not before slapping me on the shoulder. Tyson throws Nico a 'hey' while I close the door after him. Alright, I was really looking forward to just having the time to Annabeth and myself, plus Tyson, so you can't blame me for feeling a little down that my cousin's here.

"Sup?" I stand against the wall watching Annabeth while Nico downs a soda.

"You babysitting?" Nico cocks his head towards Tyson and Annabeth who are now sitting on the couch watching TV. I guess I'm not the best babysitter, but whenever I try to help out, Tyson just waves me off saying how he only wants Annabeth to help him.

"Sort of," I chuckle, seeing the glare that Annabeth shoots me, yet it's not at all intimidating considering the fact that she's grinning. "Why are you here?" I direct my gaze back to Nico who has almost finished the Pepsi.

"What, I can't just hang out with my cousin?" He smirks, pausing before telling me the real reason. "Mark was pretty pissed off today. Turns out Drew broke up with him for you."

I can't say that I'm surprised seeing how I warned Mark about it, but that probably means that Mark is now going to have it out for me. "Great."

"You don't like her, do you?" Nico raises his eyebrows, trying to balance the Pepsi can on one finger.

"She doesn't look half bad," I state nonchalantly. It's true; she doesn't look half bad, but that doesn't mean that I'm too interested or anything like that.

Shaking his head, Nico stops playing with the Pepsi can, "So, are you gonna date her now for a few days then dump her?"

"Why not?" I shrug while scratching my head. Look, I'm not a player or anything along those lines. I just don't see why I shouldn't give every girl her fair chance, alright? It's not my fault if it doesn't work out in the end.

"Yeah, then who's next," he pauses, and I look to see where his gaze is: Annabeth, "seeing how you've basically tried out every girl. Who are you going to try out after Drew, Annabeth?" It's one thing if he dogs on me for my dating habits, but it's another thing if he suggests that I'm going to string Annabeth along like she's just some other girl. Plus, Annabeth's my best friend; that's all there is to it no matter how attractive she may be.

"Look, Annabeth's different, alright." I state calmly, not letting Nico know how much it bugs me that he's grouping Annabeth with all the other girls that I've dated. It's not like that. She's not like all the other girls.

"Yeah, I know," his glare meets mine, "so don't even try that sort of thing with Annabeth, alright?"

Woe, since when did Nico tell me anything when it came to Annabeth? It's one thing for him to care about her as a friend, but I mean, he couldn't like her as more than that right? Nah, I shake the thought from my head, not wanting to believe it. "Look, Annabeth's different, and she doesn't need anyone protecting her, alright? So lay off of her, Nico."

"Hah," he chuckles tossing the can to me, which I catch, "me lay off her? I'll do it as long as you promise not to toy with her. And, at least I give a crap about her unlike you."

"Don't even," I step towards him, "go there."

"What? You think letting Mark say shit about her counts as protecting her? Because it sure as hell doesn't. So, why don't you just leave Annabeth out of your little game of messing with girls and dumping them," Nico spats, pushing me out of his space. If he weren't my cousin, I probably would have punched him already. It's a good thing for him that he's my cousin.

"Look, you don't know a damn thing when it comes to what I do with Mark, okay? And, what difference does it make to you what happens with Annabeth and me? Alright, she's my friend so butt out of it already."

"I just don't need another Luke on my hands," Nico states simply, raising his eyebrows with a smug yet angered look on his face. "Whether or not you realize it, Annabeth does have other friends to tell stuff to- people other than you." He leaves, a smirk on his face, knowing that I don't have a comeback for that.

It's the one thing that Annabeth hasn't told me about: Luke. All I know is that Luke made up the rumors that have landed Annabeth with a horrible and false reputation. But, the idea that Nico knows more about the Luke situation than me angers me. It's not because Annabeth may have been close friends with Nico too but that Annabeth may have told him something that she wouldn't even tell me. Watching her, I frown slightly thinking that maybe Nico was there to let her cry on his shoulder, hug, or even, more than that. The idea that she might trust Nico more than she trusts me. The idea that I may have lost my best friend to my cousin because I was too busy with Mark and my ex-girlfriends to make time for her. But more than anything, the idea that I truly may have not have been there for Annabeth when she needed me most is what bothers _me_ the most.

**...**

"I forgot how much energy Tyson has," Annabeth groans, before lying next to me on the makeshift bed on the couch. She leans against the side of my body, putting her chin on my shoulder to look at me.

"Yeah," I say, still thinking of how she and Nico could have been this close, how she and Nico could have been more than just friends, and I may not have even known it. "He's definitely on fully loaded most of the time."

Laughing slightly, I can hear the smile in her voice, "He reminds me of you when we were younger. Although, I think you had even more energy than he has now."

"Probably," I give a half-hearted chuckle that sounds more like a cough.

Frowning, she turns my head towards her, forcing me to meet her gaze, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I mutter, trying to look away from her, but I know that I'll have to tell her sometime. Whether or not it was today or tomorrow, I would have to ask her about it sometime because it would start to eat me alive. Just the thought of her and Nico would start to tear me apart. Today is probably just as good, "So, have you ever told anyone about what happened with you and Luke?"

Confusion, sadness, anger, disappointment, and shock all pass across her face, and I can't help but immediately feel bad for even bringing him up. "No," she states hesitantly and quietly. "What did Nico say?"

Chuckling I ask, "How did you know it was Nico?"

"You started acting weird after he left," she shrugs, trying to make herself more comfortable. Eventually, she decides to rest her head on my chest, and I let my arm fall around her waist. For a second, I feel her tense and am about to lift my hand off her waist, but she then relaxes. I figure that I misjudged whatever it was, and she wasn't tensing.

"Pretty much that you talked to him about Luke," I do my best to not sound mad or well, jealous. I'm not jealous, alright. I just don't like the idea that she talked to Nico about something that she wouldn't even talk to me about. That's not jealousy; it's just something that I don't like and bothers me.

Closing her eyes, she sighs, "I did. But, it's nothing that I hadn't already told you. I basically just talked to him about how much it bothered me that you were friends with Mark. That's the only thing that he knows that you don't."

"I know it bothers you, though," I frown confused as to what I didn't know. What more was there to it? Did Annabeth think that I went along with the nickname that they gave her?

Sleepily, she replies, "It bothered me because you started to remind me of Luke when you were around him."

Oh.

**...**

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><p><strong>AN: Hm, this chapter actually has a lot of pieces that will be important to the story down the road. So, what did you think of it? (This author's note is short because I'm so tired.) Oh yeah, the Adele lyrics have no real relevance, hah. Also, I love the poem by Robert Frost that I included.<strong>

**Review?**

**~ Jam. {edited April 21st}  
><strong>

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><p><em><strong>Replies to anonymous reviews:<strong>_

_**Empty Thoughts – Hahah, I know the feeling. Ah, yes, I did mean that, hah. I had meant to go back and fix it before I posted the update; looks like I had forgotten so thank you. Aw, thank you; I'm glad you like it. And yeah, I do, but not all are for the first chapter because I'm rewriting this story, if that makes sense. **_

_**It's just me**__** – ah, good to see you. Aw, thank you! I'm happy that you like it. **__** I hope this is soon enough.**_

_**Fireballer23 – Eh, I actually didn't because I'm rewriting the story, but I didn't want the people who hadn't gotten the chance to see the chapter that said I was rewriting the story to think it was gone if I just completely deleted it. Aw, thank you! Hahah, yes that definitely would have been, and I did consider it.**_

_**Anon (about suggestions) – Hahah, I won't hate you for giving me suggestions. Hm, I will definitely let the clothes suggestions play out later in the story for Annabeth where it will be more significant. Hm, alrightyy, I will definitely make sure to include some of the things for being comfortable, for sure the piggy back rides. Hahah, you're really not annoying me. Yeah, I guess you are right about those being unlikely, well at least two of that last set that you deemed unlikely. But, we shall see what happens. Ooh, interesting interpretation of Annabeth. Aw, thank you! And no, you truly don't annoy me. I like all suggestions.**_

_**Anon (about updating) – First off, thanks. Okayy, I suppose I'll address this is 2 parts. 1. Due to very serious personal matters, I couldn't update. 2. Two weeks, probably around 3 by the time I post the update truly isn't too bad, seeing how I try to make the chapter at least 4.4k words long. And also, you're going to give up on a story because it hasn't been updated in 2 weeks? You do realize that people have lives outside of writing fanfiction, and I recommend that you are more considerate of that because you never know another person's circumstances. So yes, I've updated, thank you for taking the time to read and review, but this review somewhat annoyed me due to my legitimate reasons for not being able to update. I'm sure you didn't mean for the review to come off as the way did; I don't think you had any bad intentions, but I guess it's just best to be careful with how you word things. (Also, I'm not mad or anything.)  
><strong>_


	3. Best Friends and Plans, More or Less

**AN: Okayy, I think I got this out pretty quic****k! As in, I haven't updated this quickly in ****quite a while; I do enjoy updating**** quickly, but I generally don't have the time to do it. So, thank you so much to my reviewers: **_**Mysterious Percabeth Fan, AntiThalico, GirlOnFire33, flyonfan14, ChildOfWisdom, XOsweetPURPLEcandyOX, xPercyx, dark, dark, Hydro Dexter, ButterflyFlyToMe, Bikerhead6969, seaweedbrainwisegirl202, it's just me, Happyzen, anon, Miette in Rain**__**, thegayperson**_**. You all mean so much to me, and so does every person that takes the time to read**** the stories that I put forth.**

**Anonymous review replies will be at the end.**

**So, things really start to pick up, somewhat, in this chapter. I suppose saying things really get set in motion is more like it. Also, these lyrics have more of a meaning to the chapter/story.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

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><p>"<strong>I'm more than some pretty face beside a train<strong>

**And it's not easy to be me." – Superman by Five for Fighting**

**.  
><strong>

**Chapter 3**

**Best Friends and Plans... More or Less  
><strong>

**...  
><strong>

**Percy's POV  
><strong>

Starting to wake up, I feel a light weight on my chest, but I'm not sure why it's there. We don't have a dog, we don't have a cat, and I'm pretty sure I didn't just pack a few good pounds of muscle on my chest. Barely cracking open an eye, I catch the sight of a blond. Annabeth. Her hair's sprawled out over my chest, and her arms are wrapped around my waist. Looking down at my hands, I'm happy to see that they haven't gone any lower than her lower back. Good thing, too, because I don't know what Annabeth would have done if they had gone any lower. Whether or not I would have enjoyed it though, well that's another story. Just 'cause she's my best friend doesn't mean she isn't still a girl.

Yawning, I try not to move too much so that I don't wake up Annabeth. She looks peaceful. Her cheek's pressed into my chest, and I notice she hasn't even drooled. It must take skill to not drool in your sleep. Slowly lifting my hand off her waist, I push a few strands of hair behind her ear. I freeze when she shifts a little but relax again when she doesn't wake. For a while, I just watch her body rise and fall in sync with my chest, trying to push out the thought of what she said to me right before she fell asleep; for some reason, I can't seem to push it out of my mind.

_It bothered me because you started to remind me of Luke when you were around him._

I still don't know what I did, because by the time I was able to form coherent thoughts, she had already fallen asleep like she is now. The thought of being Luke, reminding her of Luke, is something that I never thought I would be in her mind. I know for a fact that Luke had broken Annabeth to the core somehow, even though she won't tell me why. But me, be like Luke? That would mean that I had the possibility to break her too; Annabeth's my best friend. I can't break her. I wouldn't break. I won't break her. Though I never considered it, what if all that I've done over the school year has broken her? All the girls I've dated? Hanging out with Mark? Shaking my head, I let the thoughts dissipate. If I had hurt Annabeth in that way, surely she would have told me, right? I like to think that she would have, but I'm not so sure about that anymore.

"How long have you been awake?" Annabeth brings me back out of my thoughts. I don't realize until now that I've probably been zoning out, staring at Annabeth the entire time.

"I don't know," I frown for a second, looking down to meet her grey eyes. "How long have you been awake?" _How long has she seen me staring at her…?_

"Oh you know," she pauses, a small grin playing on her face, "long enough to know that you like playing with my hair."

Glancing down at my right hand, I notice that it's at the bottom of one of the many curls that lies across her back. Smirking slightly, I remove my hand, "I wouldn't say I like it, but it's not a bad thing to pass the time with."

She rolls her eyes before sitting up off the edge of my couch. I shrug off the slight feeling of, well, sadness that her warmth is gone, however I move my feet back so she has more room to sit. "Thanks," she tosses me a small smile, "I suppose."

"You're welcome," I grin before mocking her, "I suppose." She briefly rolls her eyes again before looking at me with an amused expression. I know what I'm about to say will remove that expression, but I can't help asking, "About yesterday…" Her eyes take on a quizzical look before I continue, "About what you said about me reminding you of Luke. I figure we should talk about that..."

Her eyes flicker away from me for a brief second before they fall to her hands in her lap. I match my sight where hers is and see her fingers tugging at her shorts; it means she's uncomfortable. She only ever does that when she's nervous or uncomfortable, and I hate being the reason that she is. "What about that?"

She evades my question much to my slight annoyance. "Don't play that game, Wise Girl."

I hear a sigh escape from her lips before she adds on, "What do you want to know about it?"

That one I'm not even sure about myself. I fight the urge to state everything and try to figure out what exactly I want to know. Well, that is besides everything. When I see the blond girl, my best friend, sitting in front of my somewhat sadden, I realize exactly what I want to know. "Look," grey flickers in my direction for a quick second, and I know she's listening, "I'm not going to force you to tell me everything about Luke, and I'm not going to force you to even answer this question. I just want to know, why didn't you tell me before?"

After the relief seems to wash through her body, she shrugs not bringing her eyes back to me, "It didn't seem like it mattered." Her head turns in the complete opposite direction of me as if not wanting me to even catch a small glimpse of whatever emotions are passing over her face.

"Well, it did." I pause, taking in the sight of Annabeth trying to close herself off to me. "It does," correcting myself, I wonder if she'll even say anything in regards to this topic. By the silence that swiftly passes, I figure that she doesn't have anything left to say to me. "It's alright, I understand-"

"No," she cuts me off, shaking her head, "you truly don't, Percy. You weren't there when basically no one else seemed to care for me anymore. You always had all of you other girlfriends to tend to. Of course you didn't have time for your best friend who was being called a prostitute. I don't even blame you for not talking to me during the school year."

"Annabeth," I begin, but she simply waves me off.

"Don't apologize or anything. What's done is done." She takes a shaky breath, as if trying to get her emotions back under control. Feeling that there's not much left to do to comfort her, I sit up next to her and let my arm fall around her waist to let her know I'm here now. "Percy, I didn't really expect you to be there, I suppose. I just wanted you to be there. You know, I just wanted to have my best friend around. That's where Nico came in." She pauses, glancing at me for a second. "He didn't replace you or anything, but he was just there for me when I needed someone to talk to. I suppose I just wanted to know that not all guys were like Luke, especially when you seemed more and more like him each day."

I can't help but let out a hot breath, "I promise you that I'm not him, Annabeth."

She surprises me when she laughs before laying her head on my shoulder, "Oh, I know that Seaweed Brain. I know that, now." _Now?_ She hadn't known before? I always assumed that she knew I was there for her, but that she needed space. Or well, I liked to think that I just gave her the space to come to me, but now I'm not so sure my motives were that clear. "I suppose I knew that before, too."

"I just figured you wanted space," I state quietly, feeling as though I'm trying to convince myself of that fact.

"Mhm," she breaths out, not at all convince at what I was saying.

Deciding to not comment on that, I change the subject, somewhat, "I never did like Luke." But, it ran deeper than that. Originally, I never liked Luke because he seemed to be nothing but no good when it came to Annabeth. That turned out to be true, in the end. Though, a part of me didn't and still doesn't like Luke because he took an interest in Annabeth. Sure, I'd like to throw it off as her being my best friend, but there was something more than that to it. Luke was her first boyfriend, and something about him holding that title will never sit right with me.

"I can see why now," she lets out a hoarse chuckle before adding on. "I can't say he's my favorite person in the world. But really, what's done is done now, and I can't change that." I tighten my grip around her waist when a hint of the sorrow plays through in her voice.

Thinking for a second, I sum up everything that I'm feeling, all the confusion in an "I suppose so."

She shrugs with me in agreement before setting our conversation on a new path. The talk that we just had will simply have to be enough for me, for now. It's obvious that there's more for us to talk about, though. "So, when are you driving me home?" she asks, going on the new path for a conversation.

Oh yeah, crap, I completely forgot that I'm to bring her back 'bright and early.' Generally, for the sake of Annabeth's parents liking me, I always stay true to my word when it comes to getting her back, but today, I just don't feel like doing everything exactly as I had said I would. "How 'bout after we grab something to eat at Good Burger?" It used to be a tradition that Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, and I would hit the place up every Saturday, but that stopped after I joined the football team and such. "Like old times?" I throw in when I see her worried expression.

"I don't know," she stands up, grabbing her phone off the coffee table, so I let my arm fall to the couch, "about that. You see, Christine is expecting me back and all, and you know, my dad…" She trails off, flipping through something on her phone. I hadn't realized before, but there's more than simply dislike in Annabeth's reaction to her step mom. It reminds me somewhat of the tone she uses when she talks about Luke but only somewhat. There are still great differences between the way she talks about the two of them.

"I could talk to Christine," I suggest, waiting for her reaction. She pauses for a second before paying more attention back to her cellphone. "Or not?"

"I prefer the latter," she glances toward me for a short time with narrowed eyes. "Look, I'll just call Christine later. Give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready to go, alright?" I send her a nod, and she halfway runs up the stairs to, what I assume is, the bathroom. Frowning slightly, I set back the pillows on the couch making a note to talk to Annabeth again about Christine. For some reason, I feel like I won't be able to remember that note. It's the weirdest feeling because Annabeth is one thing that I had always been able to remember. Or, at least that what it had seemed like to me. But after talking to Annabeth about Luke, it doesn't seem like that to her.

**...**

**Annabeth's POV**

I frown slightly into my milkshake because Percy thinks it's hilarious to talk about how Tyson is practically "in love with Annabeth." Percy continues, smirking at me while he tosses a fry into his mouth. Thalia grins slightly while Nico just shakes his head. Looking between the two of them, Nico and Percy, I can tell that something's wrong. Throughout the entire breakfast, of sorts, Nico hasn't acknowledged Percy, and Percy is pretty cold towards Nico.

"Hilarious, Seaweed Brain," I roll my eyes toward him, slapping his shoulder slightly. He tosses a fry at me which I expertly catch in my mouth, much to his chagrin.

"Skills," he smirks towards me, throwing a fry up in the air towards his mouth, "Wise Girl has skills."

"Which you don't have, Kelp Head," Thalia adds in when Percy's fry lands not in his own mouth but on his forehead. I can't help but grin at his complete miss.

Before Percy can grab the fry off his forehead, I take it myself and throw it at his mouth which he then catches. Grinning, he pushes his chair back seeming distracted, "Yeah, I guess I don't." His eyes are located over my head focusing on something. Looking over my shoulder slightly, I should probably correct myself. Someone. He was looking at someone. "Hey, Drew," he nods his head in the direction of her. "Guys, I'll talk to you later," he states, walking off towards Drew.

I bite my button lip, paying more attention to my milkshake than anyone or anything else in the room. It would be wrong of me to say that I'm jealous; I'm not jealous. It's just that Percy is my best friend, and well, it's just sort of him and me. Well, in a way it is, besides the fact that he's had many a girlfriend for a while now. But I mean, summer isn't a week old, and he's already reverting back into the Percy that I couldn't stand during school.

"So," Nico voices, breaking my fascination with my milkshake, "Annabeth, what are you doing later today?" I can tell Thalia's smirking because she covers her mouth by biting into a burger.

"I don't know," I say distractedly, trying not to think of how, at the moment, Percy is probably flirting with Drew. Being the Percy that reminds me of… just not being Percy. "Probably something with Percy or with my brothers, why?"

Shrugging, Nico backs away from the table, "I'll go get ketchup or something." He sounds dejected which for some reason, I can't place why. Normally, I always hang out with Percy for the day or my family so that shouldn't be much of a surprise to Nico. It's not like we ever really go out and do stuff. Strike that, we never actually go and do stuff, just Nico and me.

"And you're supposed to be smart," Thalia smirks towards me, before putting down the burger which is now missing two bite sized chunks.

"What do you mean?" I ask, probably sounding as confused as I'm feeling. Being smart is definitely one of the things I pride myself on, surely Thalia knows that. I don't, for a second, like the fact that she's suggesting I may not be smart at the moment.

"Nico and even Percy," she shakes her head, looking in the direction of where Nico is getting ketchup, "the two of them." Thalia probably thinks it's obvious because she brings her attention back to her fries. When I don't say anything in response, she glances at me with raised eyebrows almost as if amused, "Look, Nico doesn't understand why you hang around with Percy anymore. He thinks you deserve better than him." Shrugging, she nods her head towards Nico, "Nico likes you, and no, I'm saying as more than a friend or what not. He just generally likes you. Don't ask me to what degree because I don't know. I assume, though, it's just as a friend."

I know for a fact that Nico doesn't like me as more than a friend; we would never even work as anything more than a friend anyways. He's just a friend to me. Sure, we're close but nowhere near how close Percy and I are. I suppose, though, that I never gave Nico the chance to be as close as Percy and I were. For starters, Nico's a year younger than me, and he's always just been there because Percy's been there. So, the fact that Nico likes me, as a friend, doesn't surprise me, but the other part does, "Nico doesn't think Percy's good enough for me?"

Thalia shrugs, looking off toward the corner of the fast food restaurant, "I don't blame him." Her eyes roam over that corner for a few seconds before looking back at me. I fight the urge to glance over in that corner, wanting to know what Thalia has to say. "Percy isn't the same kid he was before, Annabeth." She pauses, her eyes softening towards me, "You really can't argue it any other way."

"No one is," I grimace, shaking off the depressing memories that overcome me. "It's a part of growing up, Thalia." I can tell from the expression on her face that Thalia doesn't believe me; I don't believe myself either, so I can't fault her. Not every change is simply a part of growing up.

Her eyes break away from me to look back into the corner, "Is that a part of growing up?" She nods her head there, now breaking her gaze to shake her head towards me. Shifting in my chair, I swallow hard at the sight. Percy. Not my Seaweed Brain Percy, but the Percy that I've had to endure seeing for months on end during the school year. At the moment, he's standing up against the wall with his back towards it, facing me. Although he's facing me, his eyes aren't looking towards me. I catch sight of his profile as he whispers something into Drew's ear, the half of his mouth that I can see breaking into a smirk. Not one of the smirks that I'm accustomed to but a more devious one. I know what's coming next as he lifts his hand towards Drew's cheek, bringing the two of them closer. "Because I don't: I don't think it is one bit."

Not wanting to see more, I thankfully take the advantage of Thalia's talking to bring my attention back to her and away from Percy, "I don't either." I don't want nor do I need to say anything further. I'm quite certain the hurt is already evident on my face if the tone of my voice doesn't do it justice alone.

"You're the only reason that Percy isn't like that all the time." I shrug in response to her, feeling as if Percy doesn't seem to have a problem with reverting back to the old flirting Percy in front of me. For a second, I doubt what Thalia says because of Percy's actions now. Though, there is a slight comfort in knowing that Percy wasn't doing this in my vantage point nor does he know that I just saw. "Alright," Thalia draws out the words for a few seconds. She then lets silence wash over the two of us for a short time, "Well Percy likes you to some degree. Probably because you've always been there for him," my eyebrows raise again at the former of her two statements.

"We're best friends. I'd like to think that he likes me to some degree," I state nonchalantly. It had never crossed my mind that Percy liked me in any way as more than a friend because I really only like him as a best friend, nothing more than that. Or well, it had been years since I had liked him as more than a best friend. And, it had been almost as long since I even thought about the possibility of liking him as more than a friend again.

"Yeah, sure, as a best friend…" Thalia scoffs, watching Nico take his seat back at the table.

"Got ketchup," he lifts the many packets in his hand before dumping them on the table for anyone that wants them. "I see Percy's made a new friend," his eyes flicker towards me for a second before settling on the corner that Percy's standing in. Or well, I assume he's still standing.

"What are you getting at Thalia?" I can sense there's a plan behind all of her madness, and for some reason, I'm involved in it. Nico shoots me a confused glace, but I ignore it, seeing Thalia as being a more pressing matter at the moment.

Thalia raises her eyebrow between Nico and I, "Look, no girls can ever seem to resist Percy," which I find slightly understandable,though that thought makes me shake my head. Although he's my best friend, I can see why girls would _fall_ for Percy. I'm sure no matter what persona he's taking on, there's something about being around Percy that is nothing that can compare to anyone else. It seems to be that Thalia takes me to be disgusted with the fact that girls fall all over Percy since I shook my head, so she proceeds. "Well, seeing how Percy actually cares for you and he's like a cousin to me, I figure that you would be perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Nico makes his presence known again as he shifts his eyes between Thalia and me. "What, exactly, am I missing…?" He trails off, deciding to leave his gaze towards me. He probably did so, thinking that Thalia would be less likely to tell him, but I too know as much as he does. I simply shrug, turning my attention back to Thalia.

Thalia smirks, partially enjoying that the revealing of the climax has now fallen to her, "There's nothing wrong with showing a person the error in their ways, right?"

"No?" Nico answers somewhat unsure so it comes off as questioning. "There's nothing wrong with that?" I certainly don't blame him as Thalia seems to be talking about more than she's letting on.

"Why don't we teach him a lesson," she pauses, shifting her eyes back towards the corner where Percy is, "of sorts."

"Lesson? What kind of lesson?" I ask, somewhat confused, but to be honest, I'm a tad bit captivated by what Thalia appears to want to set in motion. That is until I realize, "You said we. What exactly do I have to do with this?"

"Yeah, that he can't just date and dump any girl he pleases. Now this is where you come in:" Thalia leans back in hear chair, preparing to draw out her idea to me.

I already have a bad feeling about this before Nico butts in, "This already doesn't sounds good." He's probably right considering Thalia has set up the plan so that she draws me toward the end game, keeping herself out of it which means having minimum contact from all the fallout.

"All you have to do is date Percy for two weeks to a month or so, and then dump him." She shrugs, letting her hands rest behind her head, "It's really that simple."

Looks like my feelings were right, "No. Not happening." Nico states before I can.

"What's it to yah, Death Boy?" She smirks, raising her eyebrows towards Nico, "Are you on the side of your cousin, now?"

"No," he mutters, narrowing his eyes towards Thalia, "I just don't like the idea of Annabeth dating Percy." I can feel my eyebrows scrunch together at the thought that Nico would have a problem with me dating Percy. "They're best friends and all," he adds on quietly towards the end.

Thalia gives a halfhearted shrug, "It's a good thing you wouldn't be the one dating Percy: Annabeth would be." It seems that Nico doesn't have a good comeback for that so he turns his attention towards me.

"Sadly, what she says is true." He states, seeming to be dejected with having to give in to what Thalia wants.

If what Thalia really said was true, and Percy _did _have genuine feelings for me past being best friends then I couldn't do that to him. It didn't matter how much of a player he is at times, it still wouldn't be fair. I mean, he's actually a really nice guy outside of school and the reputation he has to live up to, but he's truly not _that_ Percy. I couldn't just repay him, my many years of friendship with him, by ripping his feelings to shreds: whether or not those feelings were simply friendship or more.

"C'mon Annabeth," Thalia jokingly pleads with me as I weigh my options. Though, her idea of pleading was more like demanding.

If you ask me, there really isn't much to weigh anyways…"No."

"Great, problem solved, let's move on." Nico grins towards me, grabbing a packet of ketchup to put onto his fries. It seems to me that he's all too happy to hear my answer be no, but I assume it's because he doesn't want to consider how Thalia's plan could hurt not only Percy and me but him too, by extension.

"It'll bring back the old Percy, full time," at this I narrow my eyes, my eyebrows rising, as Thalia suggests it. Thalia seems to sense that I'm thinking _'how'_ so she continues, "You see, Percy being Percy will come to notice how his actions hurt people and will revert back to being the old Percy." The idea seems like a far fetch one to me, but Thalia goes on anyways, "So, you date him for about a month, and then you get what you want: the old Percy."

"This is ridiculous," Nico shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. I can't help but agree with him.

"Plus, people will forget about the whole Prostichase thing." Thalia raises her eyebrows, a small glint in her eye. "It's what you've wanted for a while now." It's true, I do want for the whole ridiculous thing to be buried. But, could I actually get that at the expense of someone else feelings? At the expense of my _best friend's _feelings? "Remember Annabeth, you would be doing this to teach Percy a lesson." The cost of this lesson is still arguable, though, "And, you would get the old Percy back."

"Wait," I realize that this is Thalia's plan yet I seem to be her puppet in it all, "why do I have to do this? Why can't you?"

At the latter, Thalia makes gagging noises as if I had just suggested she go kiss her brother Jason, "Percy is like my cousin. Heck, he's like a brother. That would just be gross. Eh, puke worthy, even. Plus, you're his best friend, and Percy won't suspect a thing. So what do you say? Date him, dump him, instant normal Percy, and being known as the girl that dumped the _great_" she used a fake, annoyingly high voice when saying great, "Percy Jackson, instead of just being Prostichase."

Although I can barely make out Nico's many protests, I can't help but let the idea resonate with me. I would be teaching Percy a lesson right? And since he always did the whole date and dump thing, his feelings couldn't be hurt too much, now could they? But even if they were, that would easily be justified by all the other girls' feelings that were crushed by him, wouldn't it? Though, this is Percy, my best friend we're talking about. It would mean that I would have to hurt Percy in a way that could possibly damage our friendship for life. That, I surely wouldn't even want to risk. Though, would I be able to put up with years of Percy simply using women for his benefit?

Letting out a breath, I turn my attention towards Percy in the corner with Drew. He seems to be enjoying himself as he has his head buried into her neck at the moment. For a second, I feel pure and utter disgust at the fact that he's my best friend. That… That, that boy, is my best friend. I purse my lips before answering, not breaking my gaze away from both Percy and Drew.

**...**

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><p><strong>AN: Do, do, do, do, do. I don't normally do cliffhangers like that… But, I had reached a good length, and I just couldn't help it this go around. Personally, I thought this was a good cliffhanger… I don't know about you guys…I hope I don't meet any virtual pitchforks for it.<strong>

**But, yes, I know that our beloved Percy Jackson wouldn't do such a thing as kiss Drew, but it's all for the story, right? We do see hints of our beloved Percy, though, when he's around Annabeth. Ah, well, what did you guys think?**

**Feel free to ask me any questions in a review or pm that you might have. I'll be glad to answer as long as it's not giving too much away; it also helps when I know the answer. But either way, I'll do my best to answer.**

**Review? **

**Oh, I also included some parts from the original version of the story in this chapter **

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't worry, though, with Percy's reputation, he won't be together with Drew for long. ;)  
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**~ Jam. {edited 5/5/12}  
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><p><strong>Replies to anonymous reviews:<strong>

_**Dark (1) – Thank you! I hope this update was soon enough!**_

_**Dark – Aw, thank you. I suppose I don't think that 1**__**st**__** person POV always has grammatical problems but simply the author just isn't t**__**hat great with grammar. I could be wrong, though. Care to explain for me your thinking?**_

_**It's just me – it's nice to see you back! Aw, thank you. You're much too kind. Hahah, I didn't think it was too formal at all, and I actually enjoy formal at many a time. Anywho, thank you!**_

_**Anon – there's more to a book than simply the cover. Maybe, Annabeth has a good reason for it? I guess it all depends on what you think a good reason. I would simply love to know what you see is fit for a good reason.**_


	4. Thinking About You, Too

**AN: Ah, I'm back and updating. You know, this is a pretty fast update, so I don't think I could have made it that much sooner. I considered waiting to update until later on, but then I decided to give you guys, I suppose you could call it, a treat.  
>Okay, thank you so much to my lovely reviewers: <strong>_**..Cute, Percabethforever234, Pug1998, XOsweetPURPLEcandyOX, Geeky Tiki Taylor, flyonfan14, ChildOfWisdom, i**__**t's just me, **__**seaweedbrainwisegirl202, Bikerhead6969, Miette in the Rain, Silent-Ninja x, xPercyx, smiley grape, The Dragon of Flames.**_**  
>*Anonymous review replies will be at the end.* (If you leave a review logged in but have pms disabled, I will reply to your review in the anonymous section.)<strong>

**Again, this chapter really just, well, is a driving force to setting things emotion. And, don't worry about Drew and Percy lasting too long, due to his reputation. In fact, maybe they're over very very very soon? And don't forget, I'm a hardcore Percabeth fan. ;) **Also, these lyrics have a meaning, whether or not it's this specific chapter or later on is another thing.**  
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**I really think you guys will like this one.  
>Well, I do hope you all will enjoy.<strong>

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><p>"<strong>Give me something to believe<br>Cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore." – Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5**

**.  
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**Chapter 4**

**Thinking About You, Too  
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**...  
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**Percy's POV**

I frown as Drew continues to go on and on and _on_ about makeup and clothes. Maybe she doesn't realize it, but I'm a guy not one of her girlfriends that she can talk to about that stuff. Then and again, I generally don't listen to anything she has to say. Everything just seems to go on and on and be completely pointless, if you ask me. When she raises her eyebrows and widens her eyes at me, I nod to act as if I'm paying attention. As normal, she just smiles and keeps talking. She does a lot of talking. I don't have any problems with talking, but when I'm not interested, my ADHD doesn't do me any good with the whole paying attention part. I suppose I don't act like the best person to go on a date with nor the best boyfriend at most times. Though, I wouldn't actually call Drew my girlfriend or anything. It's more casual, I guess. I don't really think much of it nor do I make much of it.

"…and even Annabeth," I hear the end of what Drew says which brings me out of my non-listening.

"What about Annabeth?" I raise an eyebrow, focusing my gaze on Drew's face. Quickly, I feel my nose wrinkle as the thick layer of _makeup_ reminds me something of a clown. _Great, I'm on a date with a clown _is all I can think. Well, that is besides Annabeth and why Drew's talking about her.

She rolls her eyes, picking her hand up to inspect her nails, "I said Annabeth would even look good if she tried makeup and maybe even straightened her hair." Her eyes flicker to me for a second and narrow, "But, I doubt that could get her a boyfriend, anyways."

"She's look fine without it. And, she's had one before," I grit out, not enjoying having to mention Luke. At least from what I know, Luke was Annabeth's first and only boyfriend.

"Yeah, well it's obvious why that is." Her eyes roll before gazing at her nails yet again. It seems that she takes more interest in her nails than me. It's not as if it bugs me or anything considering the fact that I take more interest in the paint on the walls than her. I'm pretty sure that paint dried _years_ ago, too.

"What do you know about Luke and Annabeth?" I ask casually, trying to hide my curiosity, not exactly sure why Drew would know anything more than me. Considering that Luke's two years older than us, I figure that she and he aren't good friends or anything. Though, who knows considering I haven't listened to the majority of the stuff she says, and she very easily could have explained it already.

Blowing air on her nails, "Ah, nothing," she pauses eyeing me, "Luke and Mark had been friends. I only know what Mark told me." She shrugs, leaning forward on the table towards me, "Why don't we focus on us instead of Annabeth. Really, there's nothing special about her, unlike me."

"Did Mark say anything about why Luke and Annabeth broke up?" I ignore Drew's attempt to change the subject once again. Normally, I wouldn't mind getting away from the topic of Annabeth since most people only like to insult her. But, a total of five days have passed since I've talked to and _seen_ Annabeth. Last I spoke with her, she declined my offer to drive her home from Good Burger. I guess I'm pretty much grasping at getting the chance to know anything about Annabeth even if it's not from Annabeth herself. Plus, I can't help but get a bad feeling when it comes to Luke and Annabeth's previous relationship. Something about it doesn't sit right with me at all especially since he helped to create the name 'Prostichase.'

"No. Not really." Drew rolls her eyes when I give her a pressing look, "He only said something about it being bound to happen. I don't really remember, alright? Why do you even care?" For a split second, I feel bad that she doesn't understand why I could care so much for a girl that everyone pesters. I suppose, if I were looking at it from the outside, I wouldn't understand either, but Annabeth has always been there for me and I to her.

"It's not that simple at all," I sum it up.

"Percy, you can tell me anything." Drew smiles, drawing her chair closer to mine to hold my hand, "You can trust me. I'm your girlfriend."

For some reason, everything that Drew says to me simply sounds like a whine. And besides, I don't really tell anything to anyone other than Annabeth. "Eh, about that," Drew's smile falters for a second before it widens hopefully, "you see, girlfriend sounds serious." I pause deciding how best to put it together. I can feel my mouth quickly shape into a smile when I remember how Annabeth used to always tell me it's best to stop a second and collect your thoughts than ramble on about nothingness for ten minutes. Forcing myself to wipe off the smile so Drew doesn't get the wrong idea, I continue, "And, well, I don't really think we're there yet. You know?"

"Then where are we?" Her voice doesn't sound at all understanding nor does her gaze look it.

I swallow hard, "Uh, somewhere in between friends and a relationship?"

The muscle in her jaw seems to twitch and her eyes narrow slightly. For some reason, it reminds me of a viper getting ready strike its victim. Sadly, I feel like I'm the victim here and she's the viper. "Actually," she pushes her chair back from the table, "we're neither. This," she uses her hand to gesture to the space between us. For a second, I think she's talking about the lunch that I'm going to have to pay for, but then I realize she means something more, "doesn't exist."

For a few seconds, I'm not entirely sure what she means until it registers that she's broken up with me. Well, broken up whatever we had going on. Now that I've figured it out, I notice she's already started walking away without even giving me an explanation, "Drew-

"Next time," she then turns to face me anger present in her eyes, "consider whether you want to date another girl or the prostitute."

"Prostitute?" I question for good reason. I may be a lot of things, but I definitely haven't dated a prostitute before. In fact, I've never even met a prostitute, or if I have, I wasn't aware of their profession.

Drew laughs, something that doesn't sound at all humor filled, "Annabeth."

"She's not a prostitute, Drew." I stand up, feeling the need to no longer sit by and listen. It's one thing to say something about me, for her to insult me because of that, but it's another thing for her to take out whatever problems she has with me on Annabeth.

"This is it, exactly," she sighs, coming back to me. "I just don't want to make a scene," she explains. "Percy, I don't even think you listened to what I had to say half the time because whenever you had something to say, it was always about Annabeth. Look, I've heard a lot of things about you, but I assumed that they weren't serious about you basically only talking about Annabeth and her being your best friend. I don't even think you realize who you're actually dating: let me help you, it's not Annabeth."

"They?" I wonder aloud, not sure who exactly thinks I'm a great topic of conversation. Sure, I don't think I'd be a boring topic but talking about what I talk about can't be interesting.

She sighs, her gaze softening, "All the other girls that dated you. Look, what I said before about us not existing, I take back. I'm willing to give you a second chance." She takes her seat back again, looking up towards me. "Aren't you going to sit so we can finish this date?"

"No," I shake my head, glancing down at Drew, "no, I'm not." I run my hand through my hair, frustrated. It always seems to come down to me in the end to end things. Maybe some people enjoy this, but I sure don't. "Drew, this can't work." I figure she's frowning, but I don't take the time to look at her, "You know, I need to think a few things through, but don't wait up for me. I'm not gonna call this a mistake since I learned some stuff from it, but there isn't going to be anything between us again."

I hear her mutter something along the lines of "I should of known," before the clip and clop resounds away from the table. Slumping down onto my chair, I realize something: while I've just been dumped, it doesn't hurt or sting at all. Well, technically, I suppose I dumped Drew in the end since she took me back. I remember how my mom always told me that what my first real break up would feel like.

It was awhile back, years really; I was maybe eleven at the most. For some reason, I really wanted cookies and decided to try and make them. When I went to dump the salt in the bowl, it had fallen onto a cut I had from getting scrapped on a rock under the water. My mom then asked me, _"It hurt a lot, didn't it?"_ I had nodded then, remembering the pain. _"Well,"_ she continued, _"that's what it's gonna feel like when you go through your first real break up. If it doesn't feel like that, then you never truly cared for the girl in the first place."_ Then I remember what Drew said:

"_I don't even think you realize who you're actually dating: let me help you, it's not Annabeth."_

I'm not torn up or anything about my breakup. It definitely didn't feel like salt on a wound. More than anything, I'm worried about Annabeth and why I haven't gotten into contact with her for five days. It's not as if I haven't tried or anything; I sent her multiple texts, and every time I called I got the answering machine. Trying to give a reasonable answer as to why she hasn't replied, I figure maybe she got her phone taken away, but I know it can't be that simple. No matter what, Annabeth has always found a way to contact me even when her phone has been taken away. Then and again, Annabeth doesn't seem to be too pleased with me much less Thalia and Nico; right now, it seems like they have it out for me. Knowing that I can't just sort everything out on my own this go around, I know that I need to talk to at least one person before I can begin to sort anything out.

**...**

**Annabeth's POV**

"So, how's being that world renowned architect going for yah?" Nico smirks, pushing his hands into his pockets. We've been walking around the block just talking for over twenty minutes now. Nico figured it would be a good idea for us to get ice cream, something about it being fun, and after a couple of days, I finally agreed to go with him; I can't say that I regret it yet.

"It's not really going at all," I sigh remembering my lack of work from my practically nonexistent internship, "and I really don't want to talk about it." I don't want to seem harsh or anything, however I don't want to discuss that since it's a pretty sensitive subject. The internship all ties into my mom, and I'm not really in the mood to get all heartfelt and such.

"Understandable." He shrugs, not adding anything on. Normally, I would say something to change the topic or Nico would, but he seems too lost in thought to really make a comment on anything. Personally, I'd rather just think about my own thoughts than carry on a conversation, so I thankfully utilize the small amount of silence that's passing between us.

I let my thoughts wander to a place where they seem to be going to a lot as of late: Percy. Actually, it's Percy and Thalia, but not in that way. Because of her whole plan idea, I've been attempting to sort out everything and anything Percy. From our friendship to my feelings towards our friendship and, well, him. I never really considered liking him as anything more than a friend, however it always seemed like a forbidden place before now. Surely, whenever something's forbidden, you let yourself indulge in being there for a few seconds, but I never actually gave it anymore thought than that. Normally, I would just wave it off as being something preposterous that I thought of due to Christine and/or my dad suggesting it. This time though, it's only me considering it, and I finally decide to let myself mull over those feelings. Well, that is until Nico randomly says "How do you deal with it?"

"With what?" I frown, somewhat missing the silence yet thankful for the new conversation. By having conversation, it allows me to push off thinking about Percy in any way, shape, or form. Although, that's assuming that Nico isn't asking me about Percy.

He glances at me quickly seeming to weigh whether or not he wants to continue. "With knowing," he hesitates for a few seconds speaking at a slower rate now, "that your mom is gone yet she could still be out there. Somewhere."

I clear my throat, not entirely comfortable with where the conversation is going. My mom is definitely not a largely discussed topic, and when I do talk about it, it's generally just to say a thank you because someone mentions how I look like her or any other compliment about how I'm like her. While I realized that my mom could be out there, living her life as normal, I try to never think about it. I probably sound bitter when I say, "It helps to not think about it."

"Sorry," he rubs his neck which reminds me of what Percy does when he feels slightly awkward, "I just wondered. I mean, it's not easy with Bianca being gone and all, but I just figure it must be worse knowing that your mom is probably alive right now. You can't really get any closure."

"No, I think it's better" I push my lips to the side, contemplating why it's actually better, "because I still have hope. I know it's farfetched, yet" I blink my eyes, knowing that water is starting to somewhat pool in them, "it's something to hold onto." Nico simply shrugs, not completely seeing what I was getting at. I don't blame him; closure would be nice yet hope is even nicer. I suppose Nico wouldn't understand since he doesn't have that hope to hold onto. "You know, you're pretty easy to talk to," I smile slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

He has a slight yet sad smile on his face almost as if wallowed in self-pity. "You wouldn't sound so surprised if you actually talked to me on a regular basis, without Thalia and Percy or anyone else." His foot kicks a rock halfway up the sidewalk.

"Nico-"

"I get it," he shrugs, letting out a defeated chuckle. "Tell me, when was the last time you talked to Percy?" He stops, facing me now, so I too stop. His eyes don't hold sadness but something more like understanding on the deepest level.

"Five days," I answer almost immediately. I then break his gaze, not wanting to see the understanding and knowledge. I already know what he's getting at, and looking him in the eye doesn't help.

He chuckles slightly again, "Of course. Look, Annabeth," I raise my eyes to him and he has the slightest of smiles on his face, "I'm not stupid. You're pretty damn smart, but I'm definitely not the dullest nail in the toolbox either. I can put two and two together. You were already reluctant to even hang out with me today, and it's probably because of Percy. But then, you're probably only here right now because you haven't talked to Percy in five days."

He looks at me expectantly, and I merely shrug, "I suppose."

"What is it, guilt?" When I nod, this time he actually laughs, but it seems bitter and filled with anger. "You feel guilty hanging out with me when Percy is probably making out with Drew right now?" He shakes his head chuckling, "Wow, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were just like the other girls."

I raise my eyebrows, not at all amused with this situation. "And why would that be?" I cross my arms, somewhat annoyed with the turn in conversation.

He shrugs, "If I didn't know any better, I would think" he shakes his head, deciding not to say anything. "Annabeth, there's nothing for you to feel guilty about." This time his laugh is only him making an amused sound, "You act like this is a date or something. Or some hidden meaning for why I'm asking you to hang out. Can't a guy just hang out with his cousin's favorite girl?" When I roll my eyes in disbelief, he puts his hands up in surrender, "Alright, so I asked you to hang out to talk about that whole plan thing."

I inwardly groan, now that he's bringing it up. For almost a week now, I've been toying with the idea of the plan that Thalia wants me to do, not getting much headway. "What about it?"

"Well," he nods his head to the side, signaling for us to walk again, "you're the one that basically said maybe. So, maybe you should tell me."

"I said I'll think about it," I correct him, keeping in stride with his casual walk.

"That's basically a maybe," he shrugs, continuing before I can argue with him. "I'm not a big fan of this whole plan seeing how I can assure you that either you or Percy will get hurt. But, if you think it's best for Percy, I won't try to convince you to stop."

"I know," I bite my lip in contemplation. I've run through every, single scenario in my head multiple times, yet for some reason, I've just been indecisive.

"You know," he smirks, "Percy could come out of that whole thing hating you." His smirk isn't something of happiness but more of a realization. It is true though, he's realized something that's causing me to be indecisive, but it's only just a part of the matter.

He kicks another rock along the sidewalk, and I echo his behavior only mine was more with frustration. I wish I could simply say yes or no, but it's never that easy when it comes to things that involve Percy. It's especially not easy when it involves the arrogant Percy and the Seaweed Brain Percy. "I don't know, though, if I can live with the Percy that's well…"

"A manwhore." Nico finishes for me, nonchalantly. "He's my cousin, and maybe I should be doing something to protect him or whatever. But this is all I have to say about it: when you decide if you can live with Percy dating every girl under the sun for the rest of your life, then you'll know what you have to do. Until then, I recommend just sitting back and taking a ride."

"Taking a ride?" I question, not seeing any great ride that I could possibly be taking during my time of indecision.

"Alright, so I suppose I'll be the one doing that," I punch him in the arm when he starts laughing at the confused look I previously had on my face. When he grins, I see a hint of Percy, "Getting ice cream with me wasn't half bad, now was it?"

"No," I pause, realizing that Nico has gotten me that much further to deciding what I plan to do, "I suppose not."

**...**

**Percy's POV**

"Alright," my mom looks at me over her shoulder, "I know you love my blue cookies, but why are you here?" She keeps a knowing expression on her face as she loads the last dish into the dishwasher. I truly love my mom, but sometimes I wish she didn't actually know me so well.

I smile slightly, "What? I can't just eat a cookie with you during the summer?"

She sighs, turning around to completely face me, "It's the summer. Shouldn't you be hanging out with Annabeth or Nico or someone? Or your girlfriend? What was her name? Rachel?" Her eyebrows rise pointedly at me. While she never truly scolds me, I know she's not a fan of my dating habits. Who can blame her? I don't know anyone that's actually a fan of them.

"Drew," I pause, remembering what occurred earlier today, "was Drew. Well, you know, I wouldn't call her my girlfriend." I add in "Or ex-girlfriend."

"How long?" My mom asks while wiping her hands with a dish towel. I know she's not up for playing any of my games today.

I break my gaze away from her to the cookies. "Uh," I scratch my head, "five days?"

"Percy," she sighs, "why do you do that? You don't truly care about those girls, yet you date them." I can hear her footsteps nearing me as she rests her hand on my cheek, raising my head to meet her gaze.

"Percy, your father wouldn't have wanted that." For a few seconds, I close my eyes and breathe in my mom's warmth. As old as I might be, I'm still my mom's son and have missed how close we once were. I know that she wants me to say something, to assure her that I know that, but I don't want to say a word. And even if I did, I don't think I would be able to speak. She pats my cheek lightly before removing her hand, "How are you and Annabeth?"

"I don't know," I shrug awkwardly, sensing that I'm gonna get a lesson or scolded right now.

My mom puts her hands on her hips, and I know for a fact that she's not pleased with me at all, "Mhm?"

"Yeah…" I draw it out, scratching my head. Sure, I planned to go to my mom for advice, but I didn't think she would lead me in the direction of what I wanted to talk about so quickly.

She shakes her head, not even smiling. I know already that she's not on my side this go around. "What did you do?" Yep, I was right: she's definitely siding with Annabeth on this one, and she doesn't even know what happened yet.

"Nothing," I mutter, breaking my gaze from her displeased expression, "I just, uh, left her, Nico, and Thalia in order to kiss another girl." It's probably a good thing that I'm not looking at my mom right now because I bet her gaze could burn through one of the cookies she just made. When she says nothing, I know she's waiting for me to add in my excuse as to why I thought it was okay to do that. "Well, it's not like they had to watch, and I was in the back corner behind Annabeth and all."

"Yes Percy," I can already sense the sarcastic comment that she's going to make, "because people just can't turn around and look, right?" When I meet her gaze, her eyes visibly soften, and she takes the seat across from me. "Did you ever consider how any of your friends, especially Annabeth, feel about you dating everyone?"

"Yes," I pause, really trying to decide if I have, "well, I don't know. I know that Annabeth isn't a huge fan, Nico hates it, and Thalia, well, she wants to deck me twice for every girl that I've date. But I mean, Annabeth doesn't say too much on it." Then and again, I never really thought to ask her about it because I assumed she would come to me about it.

My mom shakes her head, sadly, "Percy, what could Annabeth have done in the first place?" I break my gaze away from her sadden eyes, knowing that a part of me has disappointed my mom. It's not as simple as me being a player because I can. Truly, I'd rather not be one, but I just don't know how to not be one yet truly just know when the girl's right. And then, there's Annabeth. My mom's right: there wasn't much that Annabeth could have done to change my behavior. I figure my silence is enough to give my mom the answer to her question. Thankfully, my mom changes the subject once again, "So, what's really got you rattled?" I can sense there's a smile on her face from the warmth of her tone.

When I meet her gaze again, the sadness is gone from her blue eyes, and that smile is there just like I thought it would be. "Well," I pause, trying to get down to the root of what's bugging me: it's two things, "Drew said something about how she doesn't think I know who I'm dating." I can tell my mom knows I'm holding something out because she doesn't comment on anything but merely raises her eyebrows. I mutter as an add-in, "The girl I'm supposed to be dating or Annabeth."

"Ah," she breaks her gaze to look somewhere over my shoulder, and I know she's thinking of what to say, "I see."

"Yes," I scratch my head, not entirely sure what my mom wants to think over.

She looks at me again, "But," a slight smirk is on her face, "that's not what's really getting to you, now is it?" I shrug, and she continues, "It's not the fact that a girl basically broke up with because of Annabeth, but that you don't know what your feelings are for her."

I grimace slightly which only seems to confirm it for my mom. But, I decide to voice my agreement anyways, "Yeah." Rubbing my neck, I mumble, "How do you tell?"

My mom's warm smile lightens her face, and I realize what my father must have seen in her all those years back: happiness, knowledge, beauty. "Ah, sometimes I forget that you're still a boy even though you're only sixteen." She grasps my hand lightly, a comfort making me feel like when I was five or six, "Percy, I can't tell you how you'll know when you like a girl. But, I can tell you that you'll start to take notice of her, you'll look at her differently, think about her, and find yourself doing things just to make her laugh or smile. And when you do make her smile or laugh or seem a little less sad, something will just hit the spot." My mom squeezes my hand reassuringly, "It'll be like that first time when you went swimming with sharks. Do you remember what you told me?"

Although she uses the voice that she often used when I was younger, I feel compelled to tell her. "I said," I pause remembering how I had no fear when it came to swimming with the sharks, how it was the most natural thing to do, "I told you that it just felt right, being there. It felt, it felt," I shake my head not knowing how to put into words that feeling besides it just having felt right. "I can't describe it, really." For some reason, I feel defeated as if I need to be able to describe it to truly know what it will feel like.

"Percy," my mom places her hand on my cheek again, "you don't have to describe it; you probably can't without sounding pretty cheesy." I feel a grin form on my face that echoes my mom's, "It's something you'll just know; it's how felt with your dad and Paul. Trust me, you'll just know." She stands, her smile getting wider, and taps my cheek lightly, "Now, go clean your room because it looks like a hurricane hit it."

I chuckle grabbing a blue cookie on the way with me. Retreating to my room, I know I haven't sorted everything out, but my mom just helped me to approach the whole mess. Now, if only it were as simple as cleaning my room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okayy, that wasn't too bad, right? I promise that Percy and Annabeth will talk in the next chapter. I mean, that's what Percy seems to be gearing up towards. Ah, so Percy and Drew ended, obviously, and I really didn't think Percy was too much of a jerk at all in this chapter. In fact, he doesn't seem to be a jerk at all when it comes to his mom. Then with Annabeth, it seems like she has a lot on her mind, right now. I'll leave it at that.<strong>

**So, have any questions, or anything? Don't be afraid to leave them in a review or PM me.**

**Review?**

**~ Jam.**

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><p><strong>Anonymous Review Replies<strong>

**It's just me – thank you! **** And, thank you again for taking the time to read and review.**

**ChildOfWisdom – thank you! Aw, thank you Veronica. Hm, you could see Nico and Annabeth happening? That is interesting, if I do say so myself. Ah, yes, I am definitely a hardcore Percabeth fan, without a doubt. I hope this is a fast enough update for you! And also, thank you oh so much for taking the time to read and review **

**Bikerhead6969 – Hm, in a way it is, but in a way it isn't. The preface of the plan is basically the same, though. And aw, thank you! I suppose this is a pretty fast update? I at least think it is? Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read and review!**

**Smileygrape – I like you userish name. Thank yor! Ah, I don't blame you for disliking the Percy that he is around everyone pretty much besides Annabeth. And well, besides his mom. Ahahah, it's definitely a weird motto for him to follow: pretty irrational, if I do say so myself. That Percy, I think, is starting to show through a bit more! And, I hope this is soon enough. Thanks, again, for taking the time to read and review!**


	5. The Ties Had Never Ended

**AN: I haven't updated in a while, have I? Well, here I am. I actually don't have a long author's note this time, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I assure there is Percy and Annabeth interaction in this one ;)**

**So, thank you so much to**** all that read and especially**** my great reviewers****:**_**Reigatsu, nerdybirdy97, jk, ChildOfWisdom, xPercyx, The Dragon Flames, flyonfan14, seaweedbrainwisegirl202, Dydery-M.C.W, Hydro Dexter, Bikerhead6969, it's just me, Miette in the Rain, Percabethforever234, New Age Law, XOsweetPURPLEcandyOX, Fluffy . Bunnies. Are. So. Cute. **_**To all of you guys, thank you so much and to everyone that has review for bringing me to 199 reviews! That's amazing to me. Also, I will reply to all of you that I haven't replied to your pms as of late (I generally only pm on ****Friday's/weekend.) Anonymous review replies will be at the end.**

**I hope you all will enjoy.**

**xx**

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><p>"<strong>Once we were strangers,<br>It's hard to believe." – Love Is a Mystery by Ginny Owens**

**.  
><strong>

**Chapter 5**

**The Ties Had Never Ended**

**...  
><strong>

**Annabeth's POV**

I frown when I tumble into the kitchen, seeing the dishes sit in the sink. Already, I know that I should have done them yesterday, but I don't feel like washing them now. More than likely, Christine will either yell at me to do them or decide she doesn't feel like having an argument; she would do them herself then. It's not as if I have a problem with doing chores, but I'm slightly preoccupied at the moment. For one, I've partially been avoiding Percy which has only caused him to call my house numerous times and my cellphone even more. None of the times have I picked up. At the same time, though, I wish that I had just picked up already because I genuinely miss him. More than likely, he thinks I'm angry at him which I'm definitely not. I just don't want to have to deal with him while the plan keeps swimming through my thoughts.

"Annabeth," I hear Christine say as she tumbles into the kitchen, "you didn't do the dishes." Of course, the first thing she brings up is the dishes. Lucky for her, I'm not up for any arguments at the moment, so I'll only give her a small amount of a fight.

I sigh, "Frederick said I didn't need to do them yesterday." It's been awhile since I've truly felt like calling my dad, 'dad.' I'm pretty sure I stopped calling him that back when he married Christine.

She looks at me skeptically, "I doubt he would say that considering he would only be making things harder on us." _Of course,_ it's about her.

When she says _us,_ I know that I'm not included in her happy, little family. That _us _only includes my two younger brothers, Frederick, and herself. "Actually, he said I didn't need to do the dishes," I grit out, watching her with narrowed eyes. She never seems to believe what I say for no good reason at all. If anything, I should be the one taking what she says with a grain of salt.

"Well," she crosses her arms, coming to stand at the table in front of me, "it's no longer yesterday, so I recommend that you start doing the dishes." Trust me, that's more of a threat than a recommendation.

"You're not my mother," I say, crossing my arms just as she did. It was my father who had told me I didn't need to do the dishes. Whether or not I'm happy with him doesn't matter because I'll at least consider listening to him, instead of her.

She smiles, not at all warm, "Annabeth," her voice is lower so I know she's getting mad, "we don't need a repeat of last time, so I suggest you do the dishes." I cringe, remembering how she became so angered when I mouthed off that she grabbed me rather tight. It left a few bruises and normally that was it. But the latest time, which was around a year ago, she had 'mistakenly' cut me along the side of my ribs. To say the least, it hurt, and any part of me that had even once considered letting her in was beaten out.

I chuckle, attempting to hide back the small amount of fear that I know would have been present in my voice if I spoke immediately, "I don't think there will be a repeat of last time. Frederick won't believe that I was clumsy when cleaning the dishes a second time." I raise my eyebrows, knowing that she wouldn't risk ruining the relationship she has with my father. There's also a small amount of power I hold because simply telling my father what truly happened would get her slapped with a divorce.

Her eyes soften, and I know it isn't long before she acts all nice and such. "Annabeth, it's really a shame that you think I did that to you. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you did that on purpose. Surely, you're not that kind of girl."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, I'm not. I wouldn't go around cutting up my step-daughter if I had one." To be honest, I don't think Christine is mental or anything, but I do think she has a really bad temper. Strike that, I know for a fact that she does. I can only hope that Matt and Bobby don't go too far one time because who knows what might happen to them when she gets mad.

"Annabeth, how many times to do I have to tell you? You're like a true daughter to me," she places her hand softly on my arms that are still crossed.

I pull back, stepping away. "And believe me: you'll never be like a true mother to me. Don't think that I actually like you. It's just so that the twins don't feel bad." If it weren't for Matt and Bobby, I wouldn't be civil around Christine in the first place. But for them, I try to at least put up a good front.

"Annabeth," she looks pensive, but I'm thankful for the fact that she isn't angry, "you have to understand something: your mother is gone, and she has been for years. Resenting me isn't going to make it any easier on you."

My gaze drops from hers, not because she's right but due to the fact that I don't want her to get the satisfaction of seeing me slightly broken. The only thing worse than hearing anyone talk about my mother is hearing it from the woman who tries so hard to replace her, "I don't resent you in order to make it easier." I pause, not allowing my voice to crack. "Look, I understand if Frederick loves you, but that doesn't mean that I'm inclined to do so."

"Well, I think you should just consider giving me a chance," she sounds resigned, as if knowing that she couldn't break me right now.

"And, yeah, because that went _so_ well last time," I narrow my eyes towards her, remembering the pain that overcame me when the knife made its cut. For a second, the face of Christine flashes before my eyes and how full it was with remorse. She had expected me to tell my father that she had done it, but when he asked what happened, I claimed that I had been clumsy when doing the dishes; I had been paying attention and dropped the knife. It was the only time and will be the only time that I cover for her. I sigh, knowing that while she isn't so bad most of the time, I could never let her in, "I don't want or need an apology. What's over is over."

I expect for her to still apologize or mention what happened, for her to do anything, to try to make me feel bad. What she does it worse, though, because it's the one thing that makes me feel like she may actually care for me. She walks over to the sink, grabs a sponge, and begins washing a plate. I sit there and watch her toil over the dishes until I can't take it any longer. Standing, I wait beside her and dry the plate in her hand before placing it in the dishwasher. For a second her eyes meet mine, a milky brown that's mixed with remorse and pleading for a chance, another try.

I'm thankful when the doorbell rings, and I grab the last plate from Christine's hand while she goes to get it. If the doorbell hadn't rung, I'm not sure what I would have done. A part of me wants to truly forgive her for what happened, but every time I look in the mirror and see the long scar, I know that I can't. "Annabeth" she says with a hoarse voice, "someone's here for you."

Placing the last plate into the dishwasher, I turn to meet the icy blue eyes that I'm all too familiar with. "Hi," Mark says, meeting my gaze with much disinterest. For no apparent reason, the head jerk has shown up at my house, acting civil towards with me. More than likely, it's only because Christine is around, but I'm still not sure why he's even here.

"Please, sit down," Christine smiles, gesturing towards one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table. I cross my arms, watching as he takes the seat.

"Thanks," his voice is gruff as he smiles towards Christine. There seems to be nothing nice about the smile that I see on his face.

Christine turns towards me, looking confused as to why I appear so tense, "If you need anything," she turns back to Mark, "just ask Annabeth or call for me." She smiles at him again which he returns before she leaves the room.

Mark focuses his attention on me, neither one of us talking. I listen to Christine's footfalls get quieter as they head up the stairs. Eventually, they end, and I know she's made it up the stairs into the room that she shares with my father. I turn my attention back to Mark. "Nice house you've got here," his eyes survey the room around him. When I say nothing, he brings his gaze back towards me, raising his eyebrows. "Your mom seems nice."

"Step mom," I correct him, coolly. The minute I say it, I regret because I know it's something that he could possibly use to torment me further.

"Ah," he seems sadden for a second before taking on a hardened expression, "that sucks." I simply nod, not at all interested in a conversation with him. After my conversation with Christine, all fight has resolved from me, so I'm not interested in any sort of argument right now. For that reason, I simply raise my eyebrows and wait for Mark to continue. "I'm sorry, about Luke."

Luke? I know that he and Luke were friends, but there's nothing for Mark to be sorry about. Or, at least I didn't think there was. "Uh, why is that?" It's not that I don't think he needs to apologize, but he surely doesn't need to apologize to me for Luke. Anyways, I truly don't even want his apology in any circumstance.

He chuckles slightly, "He's not the best guy, now is he?" When I make no reply, he continues, "Look, if I had known what was going to happen-"

"Then what?" I ask, not at all convinced that he would have done anything. "You would have created the nickname for me earlier?"

"No," he sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "I would have just warned you, alright."

I scoff at the idea of Mark warning me of anything. He's a part of the reason that I hate high school. "Yes because you've always been oh so nice to me." I laugh this time, shaking my head in disbelief. Does he expect me to truly believe that he regrets what he's done or how Luke has treated me? Because, I surely don't and _won't _believe that.

He watches me, gritting his teeth, "I think we all have our reasons, Annabeth."

"Yes," I roll my eyes, changing which arm I have crossed over top of the other, "because you can definitely justify how you've treated me with great reason. Now tell me, why exactly are you even in my house?"

He shrugs, "I'm assuming you've heard about Percy and Drew." I had never been a big fan of Drew, but I suppose I wasn't too surprised when she and Percy started dating in the first place.

"Yes," I smile knowingly, "I suppose she's moved on from you?" _Because you're such a great guy, _I add in my head which is laced with sarcasm.

Mark breaths out an angered breath, "You're not at all what I expected you to be." Even though angered, there's a slight glint in his eye of satisfaction. I don't see what there could possibly be to satisfy him, but I ignore that. Plus, there's something creepy about his satisfaction.

"And what was that?" I lean against the kitchen counter, knowing that I'm not what the majority of the people at Goode make me out to be, "Was I supposed to be a girl, wallowing in her own self-pity? If you were looking for that, then you're talking to the wrong person." But truly, I don't think anyone at my school really knows who I am because I don't exactly want them to know who I am. In a way, I guess that was Luke's fault.

"Yeah," he shrugs, standing, "that's what I was thinking you would be. Anyways, I suppose that's why you and Percy are…" He eyes me suspiciously, as if not sure exactly what Percy and I are, "Whatever you are."

I cock an eyebrow, "Friends." I'm not entirely happy that Mark is bringing up Percy and me. Surely, he couldn't exactly be a fan of my friendship with Percy since Mark has decided to make it his personal business in making my life somewhat miserable. I guess he's just finishing what Luke started in a way.

He looks like he doesn't believe me before saying, "Alright… friends. Well, I doubt that you're really happy about him dating Drew."

"And why would you think that?" I ask, skeptical about this entire situation. It was already obvious that he didn't come here to apologize, so I figure he's starting to get down to why he really came in the first place.

"Look, you're the only person that Percy actually gives a shit about," he pauses, eyeing me for a second, "and I'm not too happy about Drew dumping me for Percy. So I figure, we make them jealous, and we'll both get what we want," he walks towards me, smirking as if it were the best idea he has ever come up with; considering who _he _is, that very well might be the case, but it's one of the worst ideas that I've ever heard of, to this day.

"No," I shake my head, "not happening, ever." As if Thalia's plan wasn't enough, now another person makes a plan that I'm supposed to be a part of?

He shrugs, "I'm not half bad of a kisser, and you'll probably enjoy it." He's backing up now, gesturing to the space between us.

I walk past him towards my front door, "Never in a million years. At least Percy will probably treat Drew better than you ever did." When I turn, his eyebrows are raised, "I don't blame her for dumping you for Percy." That probably wasn't the best thing to say, but I couldn't help it considering how much of a jerk Mark is to me. And, the only reason he wasn't acting like a jerk this time was due to the fact that he wanted me to help him out with his ridiculous idea to make Drew and Percy jealous.

Mark sneers, his stare hardening, "Watch where you step, Prostichase." He's walking towards the door but stops when he's directly next to me, "And, make sure your little friend does, too."

**...**

**Percy's POV**

I drop my phone in the cup holder, seeing that Annabeth still hasn't called me back nor texted me again. For some reason, I figured Annabeth might try to contact me or something, but I guess she's letting me do all the work this time. Getting out of my car, I run through how I want to apologize to her; I didn't do any weird practicing in front of the mirror or something like that, but I still had a mental checklist for all the points that I want to hit. _I'm sorry. I broke up with Drew. Are you okay? Do you want to go to the bonfire with me?_ And then, there's one last bullet that I don't want to say to Annabeth but is still running through my head. Do I like her? Is Annabeth more than a best friend to me? Grunting, I shake the thought out of my head before knocking on her front door; I'm all too familiar with this white door and the gold rimmed peephole.

"Kelp Head," Thalia grunts at me, leaning against the doorframe. She's wearing her signature 'Death to Barbie' shirt that reminds me of back when I first met her. It was a pretty interesting summer to say the least.

I chuckle, "You gonna let me in?" Her eyes narrow slightly at me in a glare. I break away from her gaze quickly, her blue eyes intense.

"Nope," she crosses her arms, looking at me questioningly. I don't blame her; it's not every day that I show up at her doorstep. Heck, I only used to do that because I was going along with Annabeth to Thalia's place. "What are you doing on my doorstep?"

"Er…" I shrug casually, "checking up on a friend, like normal people." Alright, so maybe that was one of the lamest excuses ever known to man, but I don't even know why I'm standing on her doorstep right now…

Thalia lazily cocks an eyebrow, "Since when were you normal?" Her blue eyes seem to spark as she takes a stab at me while the left corner of her lip lifts up slightly. If she wasn't like family, I wouldn't take all the crap from her.

I glare at her slightly, "Ever since you've been annoying."

"Sounds like a never to me," she smirks, shifting her arms that are crossed over the head of the Barbie that's depicted on her shirt. Seeing as Thalia is who she is, I wouldn't be surprised if she had once actually put an arrow through a Barbie. Then and again, she would actually need to have a Barbie, so I guess that's somewhat unlikely.

"Shut it, Pinecone Face" I mumble under breath, not loud enough for Thalia to hear. Or, at least I don't think she did since she didn't snap at me or anything like that.

She taps her fingers against her arm impatiently, "I don't have all day." Thalia never did seem to have any patience.

I scratch my head absentmindedly, "Have you talked to Annabeth lately?" Seeing how I'm here, I might as well find something out about Annabeth. Maybe she just hasn't talked to anyone at all lately… Yeah, I know it's not likely, but hey I can believe it.

"What's it to ya?" She asks, raising both of her eyebrows quizzically.

I dart my eyes around the outside of her house, avoiding Thalia, "Nothin'. Just making sure Annabeth's okay and all…" I trail off, not exactly sure why I thought Thalia would know anyways. Sure, Thalia and Annabeth are best friends, but Thalia would never make things simple for me and just tell me.

Watching me with narrowed eyes, her mouth twists into a smirk, "So… You're worried about Annabeth?" Giving a noncommittal shrug, I let her continue, "Don't tell me… You're worried 'cause Annabeth hasn't talked to you in what a few days?"

"Something like that," I mutter into my hand as I run it over my mouth.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on Drew?" Thalia asks with a straight face, but I could tell from her voice that she was happy that I was no longer dating Drew. I have a feeling that even though she was asking, she already knows what had happened. Though, I can't say that I know why she's still asking anyways…

"You already know, so quit asking," I state, annoyed that Thalia seems to be up to something.

Her electric blue eyes spark, and I know that I'm in for it now. "See ya, Kelp Head," she closes the door after her, and I hear the bolt lock.

Blowing out steam, I make my way back to my car. I definitely didn't intend on that going at all like it did. In fact, I don't even know what I did to Thalia in the first place. The only thing I wanted to know was whether or not she had talked to Annabeth recently. Thanks to Thalia, it seems like I may never know. It's no surprise really that Thalia gets on my nerves half the time, so I don't understand how Annabeth and she are best friends. Sure, Thalia and I are good friends, but I think she'd annoy the hell out of me if I had to put up with her as a best friend. Annabeth on the other hand, well I never have to put up with her. More than anything, Annabeth probably has to put up with me. She's the wise one, after all. I'm just the… swimmer. _Yeah, that about sums it up_.

**...**

"So…" Annabeth frowns, watching me from across her kitchen table. While frowning, her eyes still seem to be regarding me quizzically as we sit at her table facing off. Okay, so facing off sounds like a fight or something, but pretty much, we're both sitting there now, not talking. Well, mainly I'm the one not talking, but it's pretty much the same thing.

I scratch my head, "Er… yeah…" What Drew said keeps playing through my head: _I don't even think you realize who you're actually dating: let me help you, it's not Annabeth._ Clearing my throat, I mutter, "Uh… nice weather right?"

She makes a sound of amusement before glancing quickly out the window, "Um, I haven't been outside, but it looks fine…" All while she's talking, I can't help but notice how her hair falls down her back in curls framing her face, her grey eyes standing out. Sure, I noticed that Annabeth was pretty, but I never really took the time to regard her physical appearance. What Drew said was wrong; Annabeth did not need makeup to look pretty. I let my eyes roam over her face, taking great notice of her lips. They're moving now, but I don't know what she's saying. The soft pink on them makes me wonder if she's ever kissed anyone before.

I cringe and mutter under breath, "Luke." She's kissed Luke, definitely, and I don't know who else. Normally, we don't talk about who each of us has dated when it comes to kissing, but now I'd like to know so that I could beat the crap out of them for touching Annabeth…cause she's my best friend. That's the only reason as to why… I mean, she is my best friend…even if she is hot and stuff. But, I mean, I couldn't like her as anything more. I just don't like the idea of other guys kissing her…my best friend.

"Percy, would you stop looking at me like that?" I snap my attention back to the familiar grey eyes of Annabeth, who's glancing at me with narrowed eyes. Sure, I had been looking at her, but I didn't think it was anything weird or something…I mean, it wasn't any different than how I normally look at her I don't think...

"Sorry," I grimace, scratching the back of my head, looking anywhere but Annabeth. For all I know, when I look at her next, I'll have another weird look at on my face. Yep, that's exactly what I need right now. "So, yeah, uh… you should, you know, go outside, seeing how it's nice weather and all…"

Her eyes widen slightly, but they don't seem to be doing it out of surprise. More like…disbelief. "You're talking to me about…weather?" She's speaking slowly, so she probably thinks something's wrong with me right now. That, and the fact that she has a concerned look on her face.

"Er…" I rub my head on my hand, "No?"

Raising her eyebrows slightly, she asks slowly, "No?"

"I mean… yes," I correct myself somewhat slowly, internally groaning. Why can't I just talk to Annabeth like normal? Why did my mom and Drew have to put the stupid idea in my head that I like Annabeth as something more than a friend. She's not unattractive or anything, but she's Annabeth…my friend. I mean, yeah, she's definitely attractive, but she's Annabeth…which doesn't mean much…but still…she's Annabeth.

She looks at me skeptically, "Did something happen to you between now and the last time we talked?"

I shrug, muttering a "No." I'm pretty sure if I say something more then I'll sound like a complete idiot… again.

"Okay…" she trails off, not seeming at all convinced. Heck, I'm not even convinced myself so how the heck could she be?

Instead of talking, I pause to really look at the girl in front of me, apart from her physical attractiveness; I look at her like she's my best friend and nothing else. Her eyes aren't open as much as normal and the bags under it tell me she's exhausted. But I know Annabeth, it's much too earlier for her to be tired. "You okay?"

She glances at me warily, "I've been better." Her voice sounds weaker, as if before she was trying to make it strong for me.

Annabeth shouldn't have to pretend to be anything for me; she doesn't need to pretend to be anything for me. "What happened?" I know it has to be more than me not talking to her lately; heck, I've been trying to talk to her yet she hasn't talked to me.

She opens her mouth but hesitates. For a second, conflicted emotions pass over her face, and it ends with a grimace, "Christine and her awesome self again. Some other stuff…" Her eyes break away from me when she mentions the other stuff part. I know for sure there's more than she's telling me, but I decide to focus on the first part for now.

"Did she do something to you?" I ask, generally concerned about Annabeth. There's definitely more to Annabeth relationship with Christine than what she has told me so far.

Her eyes run over my face for a second before she sighs, "Remember that time when I got cut when I did the dishes?" She pauses, pursing her lips slightly and standing, "When I dropped the knife and _mistakenly_ cut myself?" When she says mistakenly, she grimaces and I start to doubt even more that it was truly a mistake.

"Yes," I mumble, watching her come to stand in front of me now.

She looks torn, as if not sure whether or not she can tell me it, "You never did believe it…" There's a slight smile on her face, and I grin back at her unsure where this is going exactly, "And, you were right not to. Look," her head bends lower to stare me directly in the eyes, her grey orbs swimming with sadness, "I didn't mean…It wasn't supposed to happen." She shakes her head vehemently, letting out a hard breath.

I breathe out an angered breath, not liking at all the idea that someone had hurt her, and I wasn't there to protect her. "Who," I state in a gruff voice that seems to scare Annabeth as she jumps slightly. Making a noise of anger, I try to bring my voice back to normal, "Who did it to you, Annabeth?"

"Christine," her head drops, not allowing me to see her eyes.

"Christine," I mutter under my breath, shaking my head. There were times when I told Annabeth to give Christine a break; I was an idiot for that. Of course Annabeth never liked Christine. Knowing that my anger won't help her, I ask quietly, "Can I see it?"

She glances at me surprised, hesitating before moving her hands to the hem of her shirt, "I suppose so."

"Is this why you stopped swimming?" I ask, expecting to see a scar on her stomach or somewhere.

Briefly, she glances towards me, stopping the movement of her shirt, "Somewhat."

I watch as her hands skillfully roll up the bottom of her shirt, stopping right at the bottom of her…you know…chest. There's a long scar of discolored skin that's slightly raised, running along the left side of her ribs. I put my hand out and run it along the length of the scar, wishing that I had been there to help her in some way. As I let my fingers run down the length of it, I feel her shiver slightly and grin, "You cold, Wise Girl?"

She rolls her eyes, "Something like that." Her eyes meet mine briefly before she smiles at me slightly.

I run my hand over her supple skin, letting it rest at her waist. She lets her shirt unroll, looking at me, waiting for me to say something. Shrugging, I ask, "So, break all the phones you own or something?"

Her eyes light up for a second while she smiles before going dull quickly, "Or something." The smile melts off her face, and I'm met with a slight frown.

"Ah man, you've replaced with another guy?" I joke with her, watching the corner of her lips turn upwards. Really though, I'm hoping that she'll say no because the thought of Annabeth replacing me with a guy… I'd rather she replaced me with a girl.

She chuckles while I rub my thumb on her waist, "I've been thinking, Percy." Again, she sounds exhausted, and I wonder what she's had to worry about lately. But, it seems like there's more than what she's just saying, and I wonder if there's more to the Christine thing… Or maybe, there's more to what's happen today than what she's letting on.

Pushing the thought out of my head, I smirk, "What do you say you take a load off the thinking and make a stop at the bonfire with me tomorrow?"

Her eyes roll, regarding me with interest, "Sure but it sounds like you're asking me out on a date, Seaweed Brain." I cough, choking on the spit that I was about to swallow. Sure, I mean, yeah, I guess it sounds like a date…but I didn't mean it that way. I mean, yes I would go on a date with Annabeth… Well, no that sounds like I like Annabeth or something like that… Though, there's nothing wrong with her… "I'm joking, Perce," she laughs, and I toss a smile her way. _She's just joking._

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><p><strong>AN: That sounds like Percy and Annabeth are progressing; Drew and Sally put the thought into Percy's head about making liking Annabeth as something more… Seems like it may be true ;p Or, Percy is at least considering it now. Oh yeah, did you guys miss Mark? :D<strong>

**So, what'd you guys think of it? Review?**

**I'll reply to all reviews and any questions you may have. Do****n't be afraid**** to ask me any questions****; I've done the best to answer them all so far, and I will continue to do that. **

**~ Jam.**

**xx  
><strong>

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><p><em><strong>Anonymous Review Replies:<strong>_

_It's just me – ahah, yeah that was definitely quick for me, hah. Thank you! I'm glad you like it, and thank you for taking the time to read and review._

_ChildOfWisdom – I'm lazy… But, I already replied to your review in pm, so I hope that's alright that I didn't retype it ;p_

_Jk – hm, for some reason, your penname makes me feel that your compliment isn't sincere ;p Anywho, thank you! And yeah, I did… I felt pressured, especially from your review, to do so, and you saw how that chapter turned out: not well. Hahah, I'm not blaming you for that or anything, though. Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read and review, and I did update Only Thirty Days for ya._


	6. Jealousy Is Like a Fire

**AN: Ah, it's summer time which means I can now update more often. I've been busy with a lot of things this past month, so I haven't had the opportunity to update. This time, though, I left information on my profile about the fact that I couldn't update for awhile. So yes, I'm back! And, I would like to thank everyone who has stuck with me thus far and all of my readers and reviewers. I would also like to personally thank those that have reviewed the last chapter: **_Fluffy Bunnies Are So Cute, Tajee165, seaweedbrainwisegirl202, Pug1998, flyonfan14, Amy's Mischievous Little Owl, it's just me, XosweetPURPLEcandyOX, sapphire-bubbles, xPercy, AntiThalico, dandelion379, Copper Pheonix, Percabeth Lover12, Nerdy Athletic, ChildOfWisdom._ **I have (finally) replied to your reviews in PM, and those that were anonymous or have Pms disabled will be at the bottom of the chapter.**

**I actually really like this chapter, and I hope that you guys will too. The bonfire will be separated into chapters, this being the first.**

**Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the long wait. :)**

**~ Jam.**

**xx**

* * *

><p>"<strong>I don't know what to do,<br>I think I'm fallin' for you" –Fallin' for You by Colbie Caillat**

**.**

**Chapter 6**

**Jealousy Is Like a Fire  
>…<strong>

**Percy's POV**

I can't say that bonfires are ever that much fun… There's fire, the beach, the idiots getting drunk – it all seems to be the same. Well, every single one except for this one has been. It's completely different when you've brought your best friend around whom you're not sure about your feelings toward. Sure, she's cool and awesome, and, well, she's Annabeth. But when going past that, everything in my mind starts to mush together. Annabeth. Hot. Like. Girl. Amazing. Grey. Kiss. _Woe,_ okay so yeah, maybe I've considered kissing my best friend before, but hasn't everyone when their best friend is someone of the opposite sex? That's only normal, right? Well, I hope it's normal because that's what has been running through my head for the past two days… Alright, so it's been longer than two days, but that's practically the same thing.

"Stop staring at me like that," Annabeth chuckles, pushing her shoulder against mine. It's not until now that I realize I've been focusing on her sitting right next me. Sure, I was zoning out, but I was still looking at her while zoning out and thinking about _her._

I run a hand through my hair, trying to think of something to smooth things over, "Er… Like what?" Yeah, I know, I was real smooth… Look, I was trying to think on my feet, okay? It's not that easy when you've started to notice that your best friend is actually gorgeous, and her body is leaning up against yours.

She rolls her eyes. "I don't know… It's like you've never looked at me before or something," her face makes a confused expression as if she's not sure about me. I've seen that look on her face before, and it means she's also not completely telling me everything that she's thinking. I shrug it off, knowing that I might not like what she's actually thinking.

But knowing that I want to avoid her questioning me about staring at her, I figure out something to say, "So... Want to know the rules of a bonfire?" Okay, so there are _no_ specific rules, but I don't want, nor do I need, Annabeth getting into any sort of trouble here. All I need is for Annabeth to get drunk and have to explain what happened to her father and even worse than that would be explaining it to _my_ mother. Plus, if that happened, I would never be able to forgive myself especially not if something worse happened to her while she was in that state.

She smiles slightly, "Oh yes, enlighten me, Seaweed Brain," and I can tell she's holding back a laugh. For a second, I feel somewhat embarrassed, (I'm not entirely sure why) but the feeling's gone as fast as it appeared.

I clear my throat, "For starters, you drink nothing. Absolutely nothing, got it? The only way you drink something is if I give you the go-ahead and give it to you. Stay away from the water, and don't go off with any guys." I scratch the back of my head, trying to think of more things to say.

Annabeth coughs but soon that cough turns into a laugh, "Okay Dad, and I'll remember not to leave the house without my collar and leash." She bumps her shoulder against mine still wracking with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble. Look, I thought they were good tips, alright?

Smiling slightly, "Really Percy, I'm not gonna get into any trouble, so you don't have to worry about me. Now tell me, what do you normally do at these bonfires?" Annabeth raises her eyebrow as if questioning what my answer would be. Well, I don't really do anything too bad; it has been awhile since I've actually gone to one...

"Nothin'" I shrug, adding on, "it's been so long. I'm not even sure."

She looks at me skeptically and doesn't let it go, "So, you're telling me that you've never done anything at these bonfires? Nothing at all?"

I scratch the back of my head, not entirely comfortable where there is going. "Well, uh..." I glance quickly at Annabeth to see her piercing grey eyes; I have no way out of this, "You see... I may have made out with a couple of girls at a bonfire before..."

Something passes over Annabeth's eyes, but I can't place whatever emotion it is. She narrows her eyes at me, "So, is that an example of what I should be doing?"

"No!" I spit out, quicker than I intended to – well I didn't really think before saying that – which only causes Annabeth to look confused.

She smiles slightly, leaning over to whisper in my ear, "Protective now aren't we, Percy?" And even though I can't see the look on her face, I can hear the smile in her jovial voice. I swallow hard, realizing how close she is to me, and if I turned my head, my lips would be brushing against hers. That is _not_ a thought I should be having about my best friend.

Despite the rushing of feelings that are passing over me, I play it cool as I would with any other girl and wrap my hand around Annabeth's waist pulling her closer. The only problem is she isn't just any girl. The only problem is Annabeth looks surprised for a second as her face comes closer to the side of mine, "I guess I can't help it when it comes to you." And, the only problem is that it isn't a line. The only problem is that my stomach is doing flips just from her lightly pressing her lips against my cheek.

She whispers against my cheek, "I guess that's why you're my best friend." It's something that she states so simply as if there would never be anything romantic about what I said...and well, yeah there really isn't. Well I mean, I don't think there is...

Before I can even consider saying the same thing to her, there's another presence in front of us. There's a flash of red now in front of me which seems oddly familiar; from the painted toes, I'm pretty certain it's a girl, and whoever it is, her legs are long, covered in freckles. Normally, I would admire the legs of a girl, but with Annabeth at my side, I can't help but feel it would be wrong to do so. So when I look up at the girl's face, dread spreads across me as I meet the green eyes of Rachel Elizabeth Dare: my latest ex-girlfriend (I don't count Drew in the girlfriend – or ex-girlfriend – category). Great, what better way is there to spend a bonfire?

**Annabeth's POV**

**~.~  
><strong>

"Hi, I'm Rachel," the girl who's standing in front of Percy and me sticks her hand out at me. I remove my lips from Percy's cheek, and I shake her hand, noticing the paint that's trailing up her arm and is partially smudged on her face. She's definitely not what I would expect Percy to normally go for; sure, her shorts are short, but that's about the only thing that fits the type of girl Percy normally _dates_ for a week or so.

"Annabeth," I smile slightly, not entirely sure why she's introducing herself to me.

Rachel's grip tightens slightly before releasing my hand, stating matter-of-factually, "Oh, believe me I know." My face probably displayed how confused I was feeling as she continues, "Percy would always talk about you. It was somewhat annoying, but I can see why he likes..._talking about..._you so much." Her green eyes are glaring at me while she places her hands on her hips.

"Oh...erm...thanks," I say, feeling extremely awkward. I turn to Percy, looking for him to bail me out of this situation. It's obvious that Rachel doesn't like me, and it's the oblivious Seaweed Brain next to me who isn't talking. Yeah, there are a lot of times where I wish he weren't so oblivious, and this just so happens to be one of them.

I elbow him roughly in the ribs, "Oh, uh, hey Rachel." He doesn't even pretend to be happy to see her. The scowl's apparent on his face when he briefly glances in her direction.

"So," Rachel slides next to me on the log, turning her body towards Percy and I, "are you guys finally dating?" Oh, no wonder Rachel doesn't like me...

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Percy scratching the back of his head like he normally does when he feels awkward or nervous. I, on the other hand, don't truly feel either of those right now. Sure, I don't exactly feel comfortable, but I've been contemplating whether or not to date Percy for the plan for so long that it's not that big of a surprise for me. Nonetheless, one of us needs to answer to Rachel, and it doesn't look like it's going to be Percy. "Actually," I begin, clearing my throat as my voice is now uncharacteristically scratchy, "he's dating Drew."

"No, we broke up," Percy states nonchalantly, looking at neither Rachel nor I. That definitely explains why Thalia had been bugging me about the plan for the past two days and making a decision as to whether or not I want to go through with it. He glances at me, "I broke up with her." _Of course, it's typical Percy breaking up with the girl._

Rachel cocks an eyebrow, "And, why did you break up with Drew? It had only been what, a day?" Well, I obviously don't know for how long Percy remained with Drew, but it never seemed to make a difference; in the end, Percy always dumped the girl, and that's what Thalia crazily thinks I can change by dating him. Strike that, she doesn't think it; she knows it because if the plan went as she wanted, I _would_ change it by breaking up with Percy.

He shrugs, "It didn't work out." His eyes meet mine briefly, and I can tell he's shutting out the caring Percy that I've always known; whenever someone brings up Percy's dating history, from what I can see, the arrogant, nonchalant Percy appears again. It's the Percy that I could never stand and still can't.

Obviously not liking the answer, Rachel moves her attention to me, "You know, you're just as bad as Percy." Okay, that definitely was not something that I was expecting. It's not as if I've even agreed to going through with the plan, and it's not like Rachel even _knows_ about the stupid thing. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that Rachel thinks I'm the reason why Drew and Percy broke up or even _she_ and Percy. To tell you the truth, that's a bit preposterous since that would mean Percy would have to like..._me_.

I shake my head, be ridding myself of the thought, "Um, no, I didn't know actually."

"Oh," she states with fake sadness, "I guess Percy cares about you just as much as he did for me and all the other girls he dumped." And along with that fake sadness, Rachel throws in a smile that's supposed to show pity; it's obvious that the pity is as fake as the original sadness in her tone. Nevertheless, she definitely hit a chord...

"Alright," Percy finally talks, standing up, "Rachel, why don't you take it out on me and not Annabeth. Whatever problem you have only has to do with me. What? You couldn't take the fact that we broke up? That I moved on? You and Drew don't give a shit about each other, but don't think that taking it out on Annabeth will do anything to help you. So, why don't you grow _some_ and take it out with me." He's fuming now, using his whisper yell that I haven't seen him use in a long time. Generally, Percy doesn't get mad, but when he does, his voice actually gets quieter instead of louder: quieter and sterner. Angrily, he runs a hand through his hair while Rachel watches him wide-eyed. If she hadn't been trying to start something with me, I may have attempted to calm Percy down for her. Then and again, I can't help but admit that Percy looks, well... Well, Percy looks… attractive while mad... and I know I shouldn't even be thinking that. "Come on, Rachel, take it out with me," Percy continues to egg her on.

Seeming to regain her composure, Rachel sets her stare, "This has everything to do with her." She points a finger covered in red paint at me to which I raise my eyebrows. I wasn't aware of the fact that I had done anything to Rachel much less Drew. Sure, they weren't my favorite people, but I never personally attacked them nor have an agenda against them.

Percy laughs angrily which makes it come out throatily, "Are you going to explain this crap or what?"

Yeah, I do think it would be nice if she decided to explain that. I suppose it isn't just me that's lost, "It'd be nice to know what I have to do with all of this." I try to reply as nicely as possible, but I ultimately feel fake with my sincerity.

Rachel shoots me an angered look before addressing Percy, "How many girls are you going to dump before you date her?" She then turns to stare at me angrily, "And, how many girls are you going to let him hurt knowing full well that he only gives a crap about you?"

"Um..." I start, still processing the fact that Rachel thinks I'm somehow allowing Percy to go off and date girls and dump them, "Do you really think I'm helping him date and dump girls?" I ask exhausted from this entire thing already. I'm really starting to wish I hadn't gone to the bonfire.

Percy shakes his head vigorously, "You've got to be kidding me." Yeah, I'm pretty much on the same page that Percy's on although he's more angered than I am. I'm pretty much indignant at the moment.

Blowing out a deep breath, Rachel states calmly, "Percy, do you know how many of your ex-girlfriends, including me, got tired of hearing you go on and on about Annabeth?" She continues to address Percy but watches me lazily, "We all know you like Annabeth, so why don't you just date her already?" I raise my eyebrows, as she walks off to some part of the beach. They _all_ think Percy likes me? _Maybe they don't know we're best friends,_ I reason out as a way to make sense of all of this.

I turn to Percy, who's still looking off to where Rachel has gone into a crowd of guys, mumbling, "Hm, that was interesting." Which it definitely was, but I'm still not sure what I even think of this whole matter. Yeah, that would definitely make it easier to execute the plan if Percy liked me, but I don't even know if I'm even _going_ to do the plan.

"Sure," I sigh as Percy sits down in the sand next to my feet, watching the fire burning in front of us. He seems to be lost in thought when normally he would appear to be daydreaming or something to that effect. I slide next to him, knowing that something's definitely on his mind that's troubling him. His lips are turned downwards into a small frown, his eyes downcast. I press my toes into the sand, watching the sand cascade around them. "People say interesting stuff," Percy breaks me out of my stupor, his green eyes focused on me.

I turn my head slightly, realizing that he's now only an inch away from me. I glance down at his lips which are pursed into a straight line, his jaw taut. Bringing my gaze back to his eyes, I swallow hard since he's been watching me that entire time: watching me look at his lips. "Yes," I struggle out, locked in his stern, unwavering gaze.

It softens slightly as he brings his face forward. I prepare myself for him to kiss me; I suppose it's been something inevitable as we've been best friends for so long. I had always assumed that when the time came for it to happen, I would feel awkward or something that just wasn't right. But instead of either of those, I feel something as corny as butterflies in my stomach, that little jump you get of excitement. I close as my eyes as I feel his soft lips press against... my forehead. Sighing, I'm not quite sure if it's from the warmth I feel spreading outward from the spot his lips touched or the disappointment in the fact that he did not kiss me. I shouldn't feel disappointment; I mean, he's just my best friend.

Percy puts his arm around my shoulder, leaning back against the log yet keeping his face still close to mine, "Sometimes interesting is right." He pauses, looking out toward the rushing waves that are lapping a few feet from our feet. "Sometimes, it's wrong," and I feel my stomach drop, the complete opposite of the jump of excitement I had once felt. And for some interesting reason, I wish that it were true, that he did like me. But as of right now, I'm not sure if thinking that about my best friend is right or wrong.

**…**

**Percy's POV**

There are a lot of times where it actually seems like Annabeth might like me such as when she was definitely looking at my lips. Sure, I considered kissing her right then and there, but I didn't want to risk ruining the friendship that we had. If she didn't like me like that, then it would probably be pretty damn awkward. And if she did like me... Well, that's highly unlikely so there's no point in even considering it. As if I wasn't confused before, I definitely am now since she left to go talk to Thalia after our _moment._ Or well, I count it as a moment, and I'm not even sure if she does...

I don't even know what's caused me to like Annabeth...or, well, consider liking Annabeth. Sure, I've known her practically my entire life, but she had always just been a friend to me then; I don't think I even realized that she was a _girl._ Then somewhere along the lines, she got extremely hot, and it wasn't just other guys who were interested in her; I was also interested in her, but of course, she wasn't interested in me. Probably the worse thing about being friend-zoned by a girl who you've been attracted to for years is being best friend-zoned by that same girl and watching another guy ruin her life and reputation.

"Hey," Nico slides onto the same log that I've been sitting on since Annabeth left to talk to Thalia. It's been awhile, but she's still talking to Thalia seeming to be interested. There's that would again, interest. I shake my head, not letting the previous _moment_ replay in my head.

I nod towards Nico, not having much to say to him. Besides the fact that I'm intent on making sure that Annabeth doesn't drink anything or get into trouble, I'm not in the mood to talk to my cousin. Keeping my focus on Annabeth, there are a couple of guys who continue to check her out, but it seems like Annabeth doesn't notice or doesn't care. I'm not entirely sure which one I would prefer. Every time I see a guy lay his eyes on Annabeth, I feel the urge to punch him which is probably because she's my best friend. And for all I know, they could just be another Luke who would hurt Annabeth in the end. I should have protected her from Luke, and I damn sure will stop any other guy from hurting her.

"So… how'd you convince Annabeth to actually come to the bonfire?" Nico asks, breaking the silence that's surrounding us. It's been pretty awkward around us as of late, seeing how I'm not sure how he views Annabeth or where their friendship has gone. This time, though, I was too focused on Annabeth to notice the awkward air around us.

I break my gaze away from Annabeth who's laughing with Thalia, "I asked." I know, it's short reply, but I'm not in the mood to talk with him.

"What's your problem, Percy?" Nico spits out, and I can imagine him gripping his cup right now, willing it to break. He's never had a great temper, and for some reason, it looks like it's even shorter right now. That's probably because he's drunk something spiked which leads me to internally shake my head. I should have made sure Nico didn't do anything stupid and not just Annabeth since this is his first bonfire too.

I laugh, not a happy one though, at his harshness and stupidity for possibly getting drunk, "I haven't got one. Maybe you should ask yourself the same thing."

He shrugs, glaring out towards the crowds of people dancing, "I'm not the one that's protective over someone that they didn't seem to give a shit about when all the other girls were falling at their feet."

"Ah," I grunt, seeing that this of course breaks it down to Annabeth again. Sure, I'll admit that I was pretty sucky during the school year, but I have the right to be protective over Annabeth after all the crap that has happened to her. "Remind me, when did you and Annabeth become so close?"

I wipe my hand over my face, disgusted by Nico altogether, not even caring to hear his answer. More than likely, I won't like his answer at all. "Maybe if you were around and cared, then you would know." He laughs, kicking the sand at his feet, "But, Percy Jackson just doesn't give a crap about anyone anymore. Not even the girls he fucks around with," he raises his voice, loud enough to turn a couple heads in our direction.

"Shut it, Nico," I growl, turning to my cousin who I'd love to beat the crap out of. I may be a lot of things, but I can assure you that the furthest I've gone is a make out session. "Learn your facts before you start acting like an ass. I've never," I stand, towering over him now, "and I mean never, done anything more than kiss any, one girl that I've dated."

He stands now too, his eyes becoming darker and colder with hatred, "Really? Ever heard of a one night stand?"

"Ever heard of shutting up before I beat the crap out of you?" I somewhat whisper, knowing that I don't need a huge crowd of people coming and chanting for a fight. No matter how mad I am, I don't want to get into a fight with my cousin, even though I still feel the urge to beat the crap out of him.

"Oh man," he huffs a sound of amusement, "big ol' Percy Jackson and his great comebacks. Yeah, you're real great, Percy. Dumping every girl you've ever dated and running back to Annabeth just because she'll never tell you to buzz off. Yep, Mr. I Don't Give A Crap, because after your father died you stopped giving a shit and acted like the whole world revolved around you and your problems. You think you're so great, don't you?"

I shake my head, backing away from a fuming Nico, "No, Nico, I don't." I clench my teeth, willing the angry tears to not fall from my eyes. It would be my thick headed cousin that would remind me of what it was that drove me to dating and dumping. "Just stay away from me the rest of the night, alright?" With everything running through my head right now, I don't need a fight, especially not with my cousin.

He shrugs, but I can tell he's still angered, "Yeah, whatever. Just stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours." I watch him walk off as the music changes to something slower. I search the beach for Annabeth who's no longer standing next to Thalia any longer. It worries me that I've lost track of her as any number of things could have happened to her by now. Although I figured that she would still be there, I cringe as my eyes roam over all of the dancing couples until I catch sight of a blonde. _Annabeth._ Her body's almost pressed up against the guy's, and I have the urge to break up the dance before it has even lasted for a minute. It's not something I'm used to, but I'll admit that I'm jealous of the guy that's dancing with Annabeth at the moment. And of all people, it's Nico.

His eyes catch mine for a second, and a small, twisted smirk spreads across his face. I know that nothing good can nor will come from it. Especially not when he tilts his head downwards and presses his lips against Annabeth's.

I've never felt so torn apart and set on fire in my life, yet I can't seem to pull my eyes away.

**~.~**

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><p><strong>AN: There definitely has been more progress, and I guess maybe setbacks? I don't know; I don't think there have been any setbacks. And, I've actually hinted to a later portion of the storyline. Okay, okay, so Nico kissed Annabeth... I know, I didn't put that in the earlier author's note, but I mean, it wasn't too bad, right? Er, I suppose I'll know when there's a group of pitchfork-holding, angry Percabeth fans running after me. Remember, Nico kissed Annabeth, not the other way around, and also, I'M A PERCABETH FAN.<strong>

**So, uh, what did you guys think of this chapter? Review?**

**And, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me in a review or PM.**

**Until later, **

**~ Jam.**

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><p><em>Anonymous Review Replies:<em>

_it's just me – Hahah, yes progress is always good, and there it is. There's actually more now as well. The progress will definitely continue to keep rolling. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review._


	7. To Be Something More

**AN: Hello, didn't you all love the cliffhanger? I hadn't done one in awhile. Okayy, so I know you guys didn't... at all. SO, I shall make this short, and hey, I updated fairly quickly, didn't I? Thank you so, so much to: _Guest, XosweetPURPLEcandyOX, AntiThalico, Guest, AtlantaJackson95, Loverdancer707, Nobody2012, Guest, Guest/Nathan,Tajee165, ZzConfusion18, Bikerhead6969, Divadramaqueen, Mookeypoop, Eat. Sleep. Percy Jackson, Pug1998, LimitedLove, Nir0, Ilovepercabeth1234, Nerdy Athletic, zach2017, Guest, Percabeth Lover12, Guest, Guest_ for taking the time to review the latest chapter. It really means so much to me. The replies to anonymous or "guest" reviews will be at the end of the chapter. **

**So, goodbye cliffhanger ;)**

**~Jam.**

**xx**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<br>To Be Something More**

**…**

**Annabeth's POV**

I never really considered what any of my guy friends thought of me. I mean, I always considered that they liked me... but only as friends. I never even considered that Percy might like me as something more than friends, and he's my longtime _best_ friend. So, I guess it's pretty obvious that I never even thought of Nico liking me as more than a friend. I mean, when Thalia suggested it, I always poo-pooed it as if it couldn't be possible. Sure, I enjoy my time around him, but it really is as just a friend. For that reason, it really was a surprise to me when Nico pressed his lips against mine. The first thing that registered through my head was the odd taste of alcohol from his lips and his surprisingly nice smelling cologne. Yes, his lips were soft, but it was something like kissing a slimy, dead fish I suppose.

Not wanting the kiss to last longer than necessary, I press my hands against Nico's chest, making him break his lips from mine. "Uh... Nico," I begin, not entirely sure how everything went so wrong. I'm certain I never gave him any mixed signals, but I still don't know what would make him kiss me. "Look, you're Percy's cousin..."

"You act like you're dating him," Nico sneers, narrowing his dark eyes slightly. He's definitely angry, but I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that I pushed him away or what I said about him being Percy's cousin. "You must have forgotten about earlier in the year when he didn't give you the time of day," Nico chuckles, his grip on my hips tightening.

I realize now that we're still dancing though the air around us is definitely colder and more tense. "Nico, I know that Percy hasn't always been great, but-"

"There's always a but for him, isn't there?" He shakes his head, his dark hair falling partially over his eyes. In the limited light, I can see the resemblance between he and Percy. Sure, I understand why some girls find Nico to be attractive, however he will never be that to me. "Why does he get to make all the excuses, Annabeth?" His voice is now somber, the anger gone.

I sigh, not wanting to have this conversation now, "Nico, Percy has been through a lot, and you know it. It's not an excuse. It's a valid reason. Look, I don't like how Percy acts sometimes, but it doesn't mean he's going to stop being my best friend. He's still the Percy that's my best friend..." _and maybe he could eventually be something more,_ I add in silently. It's a thought that I've been pushing away for a week or so now, however I never really considered it until this second.

"Of course," Nico mutters under his breath, breaking his hold on me. I let my hands fall from around his neck, no longer swaying from side to side to the music. He blows out a hard breath, "Now I see why Thalia thought you would do the plan. Whether or not you realize it, you've already agreed to it." He chuckles more out of annoyance than anything else, and I can still smell the alcohol on his breath. Nico definitely needs to get home, and safely, before he does anything else rash.

I scan the crowd for Thalia who's approaching with an angered Percy in tow. _Oh perfect..._ Turning my attention back to Nico, "You need to go home and sleep off the alcohol." More than likely, Nico didn't mean to get drunk, but either way, he's drunk now and making bad decisions. If Percy weren't obviously so mad, he would probably have sent Nico home awhile ago, yet Percy was too concerned about me.

"I'm fine," Nico says, sounding sober for almost a second. I have no idea exactly how much alcohol he took in, but I do know that he needs to get to a safer place which is home. "I don't need to go home," and then he's back to sounding drunk.

"Nico," Percy pushes past Thalia to grab his cousin by the front of his shirt. "What the hell was that?" His grip is becoming tighter, and I know that if I don't do _something_ it won't go over well at all.

"Percy," I put my hands on his shoulders, pulling him away from Nico. When he doesn't budge, I say his name more firmly, "Percy, let him go." He glances over his shoulder before dropping his hold on his cousin's shirt and standing a few steps back. I slide in front of him while Thalia comes to stand in front of Nico, bringing him a few steps back. From the glare that Nico's giving Percy, I imagine that Percy's stare is one of the same kinds. "Thalia, take Nico home. He's drunk or at least buzzed."

Thalia nods, grabbing Nico by the arm, "Come on, Death Boy, before either you or Kelp Head is actually dead." She smirks before continuing to bring Nico away from Percy and me. Sadly, she was probably right about either Nico or Percy killing each other, well hurting each other. More than likely, Percy would have beaten Nico up even though they're cousins.

I blow out an angered breath before turning around to face my best friend, "What was that?" I place my hands on my hips, becoming increasingly angry with Percy. Sure, it's nice that he cares, but I can take care of myself. I don't need Percy beating _anyone_ up for me.

"Yeah, well I could ask you the same thing," Percy states, angrily running his hand through his hair, pulling at the ends. It's obvious that he's tense, but I haven't seen him this mad in awhile. The last time he was like that was when he heard the rumors Luke had started about me.

"What do you mean, Percy?" I drop my hands from my waist, blowing out a deep breath. I know that somehow Percy sees himself as protecting me, but I know for a fact that it's more than that. If he was only trying to protect me, then he wouldn't be that angry, and he would know that he didn't need to protect me from his own cousin.

He chuckles, shaking his head, "What were you thinking... kissing Nico? What the hell was that?" He takes a step forward, and the light from the fire hits his eyes. They're a darker green than usual, missing the normal, amused glint. I've never seen him look at me this way, and to be honest, it's somewhat frightening.

Nevertheless, it angers me that he assumes that I just kissed Nico instead of the other way around, "He kissed me, Percy. I guess you missed that part. You also missed the part where I pushed him away." I don't know why I'm defending myself to my best friend, but for some reason, I feel the need to ensure that he knows exactly what _truly_ occurred.

He starts pacing in front me, taking short, angered, brisk strides, "You missed the part where you let him kiss you." I don't get it... Why is Percy so concerned over a kiss that didn't even last ten seconds? Sure, he's my best friend, but that doesn't mean he can interrogate me over my every being. A thought passes through my consciousness that I've been toying with for days now: _maybe Percy does like you as more than a friend._ It would explain why he's been acting so jumpy about the kiss, but he also just dated Drew, what, a week ago if not less? So, that definitely goes against the whole liking me aspect.

I frown, knowing now isn't the time to let that ruminate in my head. "Percy," I say, though he's still pacing which isn't helping to release his anger at all. I blow out a hard breath, grabbing him above his elbows, "Percy, would you stop pacing?"

He stops in his tracks, looking down at me for the first time. While his face was originally tensed, the tension slowly starts to drain from it until he looks completely exhausted. Being angry has always seemed to tire him out, "Sorry." He breaks his gaze from me for a second, the light of the fire flickering across his face.

I sigh out of relief, knowing that he's at least thinking somewhat clearly. I lightly pull him over to a log that no one is sitting at anymore. We're seated in front of the fire which gives some amount of superficial warmth – it's really not necessary on a summer day like today, however I can't help but be thankful for it after meeting Percy's cold reaction. Knowing that we still need to talk about the kiss, I let myself take in the latest events, running them over in my mind for the first time before starting the necessary conversation.

Nico had asked to dance with me while I was walking over towards one of the chip bowls. It surprised me at first, but when he gave me an innocent grin, I agreed. I mean, it was only Nico, and I figured he knew we were just friends. When we made it to the dance floor, he didn't attempt to hold the small conversation that I tried to start, so I simply gave up trying. While dancing, another couple bumped into us, causing me to be closer to Nico than I originally intended. Right away, he strengthened his hold on me, keeping me that close. It was then that he turned his head towards the bonfire, a small smirk spreading across his face. I was about to look to see what, or who, he was smirking at when he pressed his lips to mine. I can still feel the weird presence against my lips, completely foreign. I've been kissed before, namely by Luke, but this was nothing like any of my other kisses. Those ones felt at least somewhat right whereas this one with Nico felt completely wrong.

_Did I really want to ever kiss Nico?_ No, I didn't because I knew that my feelings for him were only that of friendship. It had never occurred to me that maybe he had wanted to kiss me. That ultimately makes me feel dense which I attribute to having spent so much time around Percy. _Percy._ I glance over at the partially brooding, dark haired boy, wondering why this affected him so much. I really don't need to wonder because I already know the answer. It was obvious from the way that he came after Nico when we kissed, or well, when Nico kissed me. So the big question is: do I feel the same way for Percy? I'm not sure due to this plan that keeps clouding my thoughts in regards to Percy. I know that somewhere the answer lies in my mind, but right now, I really don't want to find it. It's not that I'm afraid to know the answer because to be honest, I already know what the answer is. I'm just afraid to know what that then entails for Percy and me.

"I'm sorry," Percy mutters, breaking me out of my thoughts. It's probably a good thing that he did too because they would have only led me to considering the plan. I'm still not sure whether or not I should agree to it.

I shake my head, "You should be apologizing to Nico, not me." To be honest, Percy really did nothing wrong to me, and I'm not even going to get into whatever problems might arise for Percy, Nico, and me down the road. It's obvious now that I need to set Nico straight, but I really don't feel like thinking about it this second as it might only cause more problems.

He shrugs noncommittally, "Probably." His eyes don't meet mine, and I know there's something in them that he doesn't want me to see: something he's thinking that he doesn't want me to read, "Still, he kissed you, and you didn't want that. I'm not apologizing for going after him for that."

"Percy," I sigh, knowing that we never seem to get anywhere with the whole _protecting me_ thing, "I don't need to be protected. I'm not a little kid, and you know that I can protect myself." If it were any other day, it would probably anger me that Percy's so intent on protecting me, however I'm too exhausted as it is to waste my energy on that.

"Yeah right," he runs a hand through his dark locks, "because that turned out so well today. Nico kissed you, and you didn't even want that." His muscles become tense again, and I realize now that Percy's blaming himself for Nico kissing me. It's more than jealousy or anything along those lines; Percy genuinely feels that he should have been there to stop that.

From anyone else, that probably would have annoyed me to no end. But from Percy, it hits some place inside me that I wasn't even aware existed. "Percy," I lower my voice, not entirely sure why, "you couldn't have stopped that." I'm sure that Percy can come up with ways to have stopped it today, but I'm fairly certain it would have happened in the long run. I just hope Percy knows that I'm talking about it on a larger scale.

"I could have and should have," he turns his head to face me, finally letting me see whatever is passing over his eyes. It surprises me, the pain and inner conflict. It's clear that he's been harboring this for longer than just tonight. It's clear that this is larger than just Nico kissing me; there's something else that he feels he should have stopped but wasn't there to do so.

"Should have what?" I utter, barely over a whisper. For some reason, I can't bring myself to speak it any louder. It would seem wrong to say it at any louder of a volume.

He breaks his gaze again, looking down at his hands, "Been there when Luke did all the crap he did." _Luke?_ I had started to come up with many ways to tell him that he had always been there for me, but everything seems to be forgotten when he mentions Luke: Luke, my ex-boyfriend. "I don't know what he did to you," he continues, pressing his hands against the chipped log. "I just should have been able to stop all the rumors that started up, but I didn't. I was too busy doing who knows what to be there for you. I should have been there," his voice drops to a lower octave at the last sentence, filled with sincerity, pain, and anger.

I've never told anyone what truly happened in my relationship with Luke, not even Nico and Thalia or my parents even. I had considered running to Percy and telling him, but it seemed like he was nowhere to be found then. Sure, it hurt that he wasn't there for me then, but I've never blamed him for that. I know more than anything that I would have only pushed him away at that point in time no matter how much I wished he was there. Whether or not he knew it, he gave me the space I needed. Nevertheless, that would do nothing to make Percy feel any better. "You can't change that, Percy. I don't blame you for that."

"You should," he glares at me angrily, and I know that anger is really directed towards himself. For however long he has been blaming himself, I can tell that it has been constantly tearing him up inside. "I should have been there to protect you even if you didn't want me to be there."

I roll my eyes involuntarily at the idea of anyone, even Percy, protecting me, "I don't need to be protected, Percy. I can fend for myself."

He looks at me for a few seconds before saying, "*On that first day of summer vacation, you let me help you up." His eyes break away from mine again, casting downwards towards his feet, "You and I both know you agreed to more than just helping you up." It's simple what he says, simple and the truth. I knew at that second that I did more than let Percy help me up,* however I had no idea that I was just feeding into Percy's own internal anger, conflict, and guilt. Before I can say anything, he continues, "Did anything happen between you and Nico before today?" It's barely a whisper, and I almost miss it above the crackling fire. _Almost_, but I still catch it.

I let my eyes roam over Percy's face, barely making out the features that I've known for years in the minimal light. Looking out towards the bonfire, I realize that it's starting to become smaller and smaller. I block off my thoughts from trying to reason out some sort of metaphor from that fact, instead running over every moment that I've spent with Nico. _Has anything happened between him and me before today?_ No. "No," I say, this time aloud and firmer than the thought that I had in my head.

His sea green eyes meet my grey, and for the first time since the Nico incident, I see something like hope pass in front of them, "Are you certain?" I know he's not doubting me but wants to know if I'm saying that only for his benefit or if it's the truth. In any other circumstance, that would greatly bug me, however today, it only warms me up a small amount inside.

"Yes," I mumble, the corners of my lips turning slightly upwards in an involuntary smile. For a second, I swear Percy's do the same before he turns his head away from mine once again.

We sit in silence for awhile, and I wonder what's running through Percy's mind. I can't even seem to imagine what it might be. In mine, I play out over and over again the Nico incident and Percy's reaction. I wonder if maybe _I _could have done something differently to stop it from happening. Maybe I could have turned my head, but no, I wasn't even expecting the kiss to happen. I could have said no to Nico in the first place? But, I saw no harm in dancing with a _friend._ I don't know what I could have done to change things, and I know there's no point in considering what I could have done differently. Still, I can't help myself from doing so.

I continue to let my mind wander to my best friend who's sitting next to me and my other best friend. He and Thalia. I know right now that I could very well go through with the plan, and it could work. I also know that I could easily say no. It bothers me greatly that I can't seem to make a decision one way or another, but I know it's because the odds are almost evenly stacked: either I deal with Percy being a womanizer and my best friend or I possibly end Percy being a womanizer yet also might hurt him, my best friend. It's definitely not the easiest thing for me to consider at any time.

"I don't regret what I did," Percy says matter-of-factually, kicking sand up with the tip of his sneaker. Again, he breaks me out of my thoughts although I'm not sure whether or not I'm thankful for that this go around.

I run my finger along the uneven bark of the log, considering what exactly Percy might be talking about, "Hm... and what would that be?" Really, I'm genuinely curious to know what he's referring to because I'm not exactly sure what it might be.

"Nico," he shrugs as though it were the most obvious thing, "I'm not sorry for what I did after he kissed you. He shouldn't have kissed you in the first place." I can hear the edge starting to rise in Percy's voice yet again as he mentions Nico.

"Percy," I turn my body so that it's facing his, "why does this bother you so much?" Before, I thought I knew what the answer was, but now I just want to know for sure. It's one of those things where you want to validate your own thoughts.

He glances towards me, saying slowly as if testing how true it sounds, "We're... best friends, Annabeth." He says it as though there would be no other possible reason, however he also seems unsure of the answer himself. It's not one of those unsure-about-if-that's-the-full-extent answers, but it's as though he's unsure if I'll take that as being the answer.

I don't; I suppose that is no, real surprise. "Best friends don't care if they kiss someone else, Percy." I know that I'm kind of baiting him, but I truly want to know if what I thought the reason was before really was. And if I'm completely honest, a part of me wants to know if Percy truly does like me as more than a friend, more than a best friend.

"Sure they do," he turns slightly, barely facing me. I raise my eyebrows, not at all convinced with his answer. He meets my gaze, holding it for a few seconds before mumbling, "Well, maybe I don't want to be just friends." And the moment he says it, I feel my stomach flip slightly.

Sure, I could tell him that I feel the same, but that would also mean possibly initiating the plan. Though if I don't say anything, that could lead to me ruining any chances that I might have with Percy at any point down the road. Whether or not I want to make the decision now, I have to, "Do you want to dance?" I bite my lip, knowing that I've completely disregarded what Percy said. It's just that, right now, I really can't deal with it and having to think it through.

His shoulders slump slightly, though he nods nonetheless, "Sure, why not?" He stands first, putting his hand out towards me. I stand before accepting his hand which only causes him to smile, though only barely. "You know, you could have let me help you up."

"I know," I intertwine my fingers with his as he leads us towards the group of people dancing, "but that always seems to mean something more than what it is." As I bring myself closer and closer to the group of people dancing, I push the thought of Percy liking me further and further out of my mind; I push my own emotions further and further to the back of my head for later times.

**~.~**

**Percy's POV**

I told her I liked her, and she asked me to dance. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting to happen. Well, I don't really know what I expected to happen... As I lead her to the group of people dancing, I can't help but wonder if maybe that was her way of letting me down lightly? I mean, we've been friends for so long that maybe she has come to the understanding that she likes me as a brother? Or, maybe she doesn't believe that I really like her because I've dated so many other girls? I'm not sure what it is, but right now, I don't feel like making an even bigger fool of myself by asking. Plus, she might not have heard what I said at all... When we finally make it to the outskirts of the people dancing, the music changes to something slower, and I can't help but tense at the memory of Annabeth dancing with Nico: Nico kissing Annabeth. But when I feel Annabeth give my hand a light squeeze before releasing it, I remember that it's me who's dancing with Annabeth now, not Annabeth dancing with Nico. And from what I can tell, Annabeth didn't even like kissing Nico. I can't help but wonder if maybe she would like kissing me...

Shaking the thought out of my head, I step closer to her as she puts her arms around my neck. Sure, I've danced with Annabeth before, however something about this dance seems different. Maybe it's because I've basically told her that I think I like her without using those words. I put my hands on her waist, making sure that they don't drift any lower, and it takes less than a second before I step on her toes. So, for the first thirty-seconds, I spend them looking down at my feet, trying not to step on her toes again. Of course, I step on them at least four more times. Looking down didn't really help me. I'll have to remember to remind any girls that dance with me to wear steel-toed boots. Though, I would prefer it if the only girl I dance with is Annabeth. At the rate things are going, it doesn't look too likely...

After maybe the twentieth time of stepping on her toes, Annabeth brings herself forward, standing between my feet, stopping me from stepping on her toes again; that is the reason why I call her Wise Girl. She glances up at me and smiles, before resting her head on my chest, near the top of my shoulder, and letting her arms slacken around my neck. I move my hands around to her lower back before clasping them together. And well, then I finally relax and just dance with the girl who, if nothing else, is my best friend.

_**~.~**_

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><p><em><strong>AN: *If you want to know where the protecting you moment came from, it's in chapter 1, at the end.<br>**_**I know that this really isn't much of Percy's POV and complete reaction and thoughts, but I really thought it was necessary for it to be Annabeth. I also know that some of you guys really wanted a fight to brew between Percy and Nico; I just felt that it would take more than that for Percy to really fight Nico, his cousin. Oh, and you can skip the next part (separated by ... ) if you would like. It's just me ranting (not about this story or any of my other stories.) So, it really is somewhat irrelevant.**

**...  
><strong>

**So, here is my little rant for the day which you all can skip over if you would like. It actually does have to do with reviewers and authors, though..**

**I'm not one of those authors who flips out when someone has a differing opinion than I do. Sure, it hurts when someone says your story sucks or something along those lines, but I would love to know why a person thinks that. What I truly don't understand is why some authors become so angered when a person gives a suggestion or states what they don't like about the story but then says that they will continue to read it. Yes, you don't _have_ to do what they suggest, but you should still hear it out. My biggest pet peeve is when they tear a reviewer down for that, especially when the reviewer is saying the characters are "OOC" (out of character). Sure, I haven't gotten _horrible_ reviews – flames – yet, however I have gotten a couple that truly bothered me. Because of one, I thought about my story and saw how _I_ was falling into things that _I _disliked about stories on fanfic. Then, I rewrote it. Aka, Chase's Pain. The other one that bothered me was when a person said I wasn't updating fast enough so they might not read my story anymore. During that time, there was a lot going on so that genuinely pissed me off, especially since they seemed somewhat condescending by calling me "hun" in the review. Though, I did not respond to that review until I was no longer pissed off. By doing so, yes I addressed it firmly, but I also did not do it out of anger anymore. To authors: not every review is going to say how amazing your story is because, quite simply, it takes a lot to be amazing. Heck, I'm not even amazing so don't think of this as something pretentious. And for reviewers, just remember that everything can be said in a nice fashion even if it is criticism and that people do have other aspects to their lives outside of fanfiction. So, if I have ever replied to someone's review in a harsh way, I'm genuinely sorry, and I truly didn't mean to do so. And also, no matter how different a story is, there still needs to be some aspect of it that is "IC" (in character). Yes, it might be an alternate reality, but the best thing about PJO _is_ PJO (PJATO is you prefer to refer to it as that). While Percy maybe be a player or Annabeth a brat, there can still be aspects of the story that make it IC (in character). Otherwise, what point is there to writing a PJO fanfic when it's basically other characters taking the appearance and name of PJO ones? Alright, my rant is now over. And if you read this, thank you for entertaining my rant. Well, that is the end of my ranting for however months.**

**… (End of Rant) ...  
><strong>

**Hm, so I do think that I made it up to you guys with the whole Nico cliffhanger from last chapter and a fast update, right? Well, relatively fast. I hope so. If you guys want some more fluff, you could always read my other stories An Era of Affection and Bonds and/or Only Thirty Days. But anyways, things are progressing and soon they will be going to full steam ahead. Look for some awkward moments, though, coming next ;) That is all that I have to say about what will be up in the next chapter.**

**So, want to let me know what you guys thought of the chapter? Review?  
>And, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to asktell me. **

**Until the next installment,**

**~ Jam.**

**P.S. My profile now has info on how my stories are going/my update plan. I update that info on my profile sporadically/when I see fit/when I remember to do it.**

**xx**

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><p><strong>Anonymous Review Replies (This will be hard with the whole Guest thing)<br>And so that I don't sound like a broken record: _Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review. It means a lot to me._**

_**Guest ("i don't really like this chapter sorry.") - Why don't you like it? I'd really love to know; if it's because of the Nico and Annabeth and kiss, I don't blame you :)**_

_**Guest ("OMGeeee! … and I WILL GO AFTER U WITH A PITCHFORK!") - So, where's that virtual cookie? ;) Hahahah, obviously Nico and Annabeth was never my plan nor end game. I am a percabeth fan to the end. That one is certain. Oh, you can also put the pitchfork back in the shed.**_

_**Guest ("This is awesomeeeeeeeeee! … NICE JOB!1") - Aw, thank you! I'm glad that you think it's interesting.**_

_**Guest ~ Nathan – Seriously, this review made my day and made me smile. Thank you so, so much. You have no idea how much that meant to me. This is probably one my favorite reviews thus far.**_

_**Guest ~ The Man In The Corner – Sorry, I didn't think that Percy would beat Nico up over that, at least not at this point. The fact is that they are cousins, and Percy really doesn't act of rage too often at all. So, I chose not to have a fist fight. Plus, if I did, I probably would have been rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of it...**_

_**Guest ("OMG! I luv that twist w/ Nico! … next update!") - Aw, thank you. Hah, I'm happy that someone actually liked the twist. Obviously, here's the next update :)**_

_**Guest ("A") - Err, you only said "A" so...  
><strong>_

_**~.~**_

**If you guys are going to review anonymously or as "guest," do you want to leave something for me to call you in the review? That way, it will be easier for me to reply to you.**


	8. A Getaway to Distraction

**AN: I procrastinated which can explain itself because it never ends well. I also had writer's block, and I rewrote this chapter over 3 times (still have an earlier version to prove it ;p). I was busy, and then I got sick. Then I was still busy, and recently, I got the flu. Grrreat. But still, I had major writing block and no time at all, soooo thank you to: **_**XOsweetPURPLEcandyOX**__**, Tajee165, Mookeypoop, Guest, yanksrock615, Guest, AceRedLeo, CimFan, SaviorOfOlympus, mimilabeau, Blackwolfy, Noah, Percabeth Lover12, Nercy Athletic, Golden Drachma, The-Man-In-The-Corner, flyonfan14, Click Here For More Stories, DaughterofAthena1234, I Am Noah Son Of Ares, MereBell, Bikerhead6969, Lily, Pug1998, Phantomcharm, Therminotaur'shorn, Guest, Altairius, killintimez4all, Air Flare, saltwater10, realbooksblowbubbles, sean, northstarwarriorqueen, epicsilverbullet, Awesomel, Younggurl, epicsilverbullet, WisdomGoddessAthenae, Impatient gal, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Namittheking, DaughterofHectate21**_** for taking the time to read and review. It means a lot to me, honestly. Replies to anonymous reviewers will be at the end.  
><strong>

**Oh yeah, I also want to clear a couple of things up: my rant had **_**nothing**_** to do with any of **_**my**_** stories, it had nothing to do with any of **_**you,**_** reviewers, and it was **_**not**_** to be misconstrued as me saying I commend hateful comments, as I do NOT. ****I just really wanted to clear that up.**

**Also, if I haven't replied to your PM****(****s****)****, I'm still getting around ****to ****reading and ****replying to everyone****'****s..  
>xx<br>**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<br>A Getaway to Distraction**

**…**

**Annabeth's POV**

I slam the door, wishing the glass would crack and break into a million pieces. It would make more work for him, make him realize how each and every time he's slowly breaking me into smaller pieces, waiting to shatter with a harsh wind, something that I couldn't take. Yet for some reason, the thought of being swept away into utter oblivion sounds great, nice, and almost, even perfect to me. "Annabeth," he calls after me, pushing open the glass door but not walking out into the cold. I'm not worth it to him; I'm not worth feeling any amount of chill or the risk of catching a slight cold. That would mean that he would have to care, something that he seems completely incapable of feelings towards me or almost anyone else for that matter.

"Annabeth," his voice is pleading, footsteps shortly following along with it. I could walk faster, run, and be sure that he wouldn't catch me. But for some reason, I don't. For some reason, I want to hear all that he has to say to me. For some reason, I want the hurt to spread to my outmost extremities then circulate again back into my heart. For some reason, I still have the slight hope that he'll say that all of it wasn't true; he'll say that he loved her and loves me. "You don't understand," his hand rests on my shoulder, another weight that it seems I have to carry.

I shrug it off, whipping around quickly to see the weary look in his eyes, "You're right." I will my voice not to crack and show the weakness that I'm feeling or the anger that I'm holding. "I don't understand how you could do that to me." I pause, forcing the anger and hurt down my throat. "To her," it comes out quietly, barely above a whisper.

He squints for a second, placing his hands into his pockets, "Look, your mother—"

I shake my head, blinking away any possible tears. I don't want to be sad; I don't want to be mad. I don't want him to see anything and everything that I'm feeling. I don't want him to know that I care enough about him to feel any sort of emotion. "There's nothing you can say to make it better." I turn, willing my legs to move forward, but they're rooted to the spot, unmoving.

"Here," his arm comes around my side to push forward a bundle of cash. I wasn't sure what I expected to be in his hand; maybe I expected nothing at all. Maybe that was all that I wanted, for him to extend his hand and walk me back into the house. Maybe I just wanted him to know that I have never wanted anything more than just him being there for me and loving me. Maybe I just wanted him to be a normal, caring father for once. "Please take it, Annabeth." I stare down at it, reaching slowly to grab the money and place it into my pocket. It feels foreign, heavy. "I wish you could forgive me. I didn't want to make things more complicated for the family, for me, Christine, Mathew, Bobby—"

"Your perfect, little family," I spat, turning on my heel to see his surprised face. "I get it. I'm the only one that cares about her." He stumbles back a step as if he has seen me for the first time, as if I'm some form of monster that he wasn't aware that was his daughter. It isn't much of a surprise since I can't possibly fit into the box of his perfect, little family.

"Annabeth, you're a part of the family," he says lightly, his voice sounding strained.

I chuckle, no humor behind it at all, "I guess you forgot about that when it came to all those other women, didn't you? She was one of them wasn't she?"

"What do you…" I stare at him, pressing him to answer truthfully. I'm not the little girl that I used to be, and I know that he's aware of what I'm talking about, "Yes." It's the one word that I dreaded hearing. He breaks his gaze from mine, two words coming out next, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." His voice cracks, and I know that's he crying now, that all that he has done is hitting him. I want to feel sorry for him, feel some form of remorse. But I don't. He seems small, fragile, and pathetic to me. And he shouldn't, he's not supposed to be that way.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I begin, swallowing any and every emotion that wants to show through my face and voice, "because I can't forgive you for this." I turn before I can see the hurt cover all of his features and walk away.

No, I run. I run away from him, from that life, from what had been a home. It's the last place I have seen my mother, and now, for one reason or another, it all seems to be covered in all of the wrongdoings my father has done. I consider turning around to grab the letter she had written me all those years ago, but I don't. It would mean facing them again and risking forgiving him. I couldn't do that, and I couldn't face the many questions that Mathew and Bobby would ask me.

I stop for a second, uncertain as to where I am now. Then I notice the familiar doorsteps and numbers, knowing that I'm not far from somewhere I know all too well. I don't know what I'm thinking when I type out three words, "I'll do it," and place a call. Nevertheless, I know it's something brash, something that seems to only be eminent. I just hope I won't regret it as much as it seems I may.

**…**

**Percy's POV**

I walk to my doorstep, hitting my foot against something that clanks down the steps. Stopping, I turn around to face the liquid pouring out of the murky tinted bottle. I have a deep urge to kick it, hear it crack, watch it tumble down the steps, and burst into a million pieces. Even though I know it won't do much to stop what has already happened, I wish that I could smash every bottle like it. But if I'm honest, it won't do a single thing to stop what has happened, what's happening. It would just be pointless because each one I smashed would just be replaced with some dozens of hundreds more. It's endless, and I know that already. It's the downside of technology and mass production. How do I know that? Annabeth mentioned it one time or another.

Shaking my head, I climb off the doorstep, not certain where my legs are even bringing me, not certain where I want to go. In a couple, only two, days, I'll have to relive all that has happened. I'll have to wonder why it was him and not me. There's blue and red flashing in the distance, and I'm not certain if it's really there or not. I shake my head, attempting to push out any possibility that I'm imagining, remembering, the flashing lights, and since they're still there, I figure that it's not a piece of memory but reality. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to the flashing red and blue, odd as that might seem. I slow down to almost a crawl as I pass the police car, the officer turning his head towards me as I pass; I pick up my pace, breaking his gaze. What if he was one of the ones on that night? Again, I shake my head, not letting myself dwell on the thoughts. I wish I could forget.

Stopping, I realize there's nothing good that will come of me being here. It's only causing me to remember something that I desperately want to forget as quickly as possible.

"Keep moving," a second police officer says to me, the blue and red lights reflecting off his shades.

I nod, turning back towards home as my cellphone begins to vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out, I glance at the caller ID to see blonde hair and grey eyes staring back at me; I've missed her more than anything in the world. I know, lame, but it's hard not seeing your best friend, especially when you're not sure if she heard what you said about liking her or not. Complicated is a definite.

"Hey, Wise Girl," I answer, stuffing my other hand into my shorts pocket. "What's up?" I try to sound casual, not wanting her to know that my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest from nervousness.

"Nothing," her voice sounds off, and I'm not entirely sure why. "Are those sirens?" The concern is obvious in her voice.

I chuckle, running a hand through my hair as I make my way back towards my doorstep, "Yeah. Something happened seven blocks or so away. I swear I had nothing to do with it this time," and I can almost imagine the smile that's splayed across her mouth. It'd just be better if I could see it myself.

"Mm, good." She pauses, and I hear the muffled sounds of passing cars in the background. "Where are you?" Her voice sounds off again, and I can't tell if she's worried about me or what.

_Where am I?_ "Uh… I'm coming home, why?" I ask, picking up my pace a bit, thinking that maybe something happened to my mom or Paul, and they had called Annabeth when they couldn't reach me. I check my notification bar to see that I don't have any missing calls, so it seems a bit unlikely that something happened to either of them.

"Oh, good," her voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "I'll see you soon then," and she hangs up, leaving me with the clicking of the end of a phone call.

Placing my phone into my pocket, I pick up my walk into a run, having an odd feeling that the second I get home I'll run into Annabeth. My feet pound against the sidewalk as the blue and red lights flash in front of my eyes, even though the actual lights are illuminating behind my back. Faster. I run faster, hoping that the quieting of the sirens will stop the snapshots of memories from pushing into the forefront of my brain. I don't want to remember. Not now, at least. I just want to wait two days, just give myself that one day to think about it, to relive it, and to forget it until the next year comes around again.

"Percy?" I pause mid-step at my name, turning towards the sound of her voice; she's on my doorstep, sitting, cradling the phone in her hands. Even though it hasn't been too long, it's nice to see her and place a face with the voice that I had just heard only a couple minutes ago.

I stand normally, "Hi." Yeah, it's somewhat lame, but I'm still attempting to process everything that's going on at the moment, and I don't want to say anything stupid. Or well, maybe I should say stupider considering I'm around Annabeth.

She smiles slightly, tilting her head to the side so that the curls fall down onto her shoulder. For the first time, I get a good look at her face and notice the dried tear tracks that are running down her cheeks. I want to question her about that, but I have a feeling that now isn't the time, "What are you doing these next few days?" Her eyebrows rise for a second before a mischievous glint fills into her eyes.

"Nothing," I pause, stuffing my hands into my shorts pockets, "why?"

**…**

"Yes, Mom, the door still locks, and the power is working at the house," I mumble into the phone, as I pull the glinting key out of the lock before turning around to switch on a couple more lights. It's been a while since I've been here, but everything looks exactly as I last remember it, not a thing out of place.

She sighs into the other line, and I'm not sure if she's relieved or not, "Are you finally letting Annabeth know about what happened?"

I pull open the fridge door, grabbing a half-full carton of milk that's sitting on one of the shelves, "What are you talking about?" It's one thing for my mom to be worried but another for her to continuously ask questions about Annabeth; I told her pretty much all I knew, and that wasn't much.

"Well," she pauses, and I can only hear her breathing on the other line. I uncap the milk in the meantime and bring it up to my nose to smell. The second the rancid fumes meet my nose, I begin coughing which only warrants some laughs from Annabeth who's leaning against the kitchen counter watching me. "Percy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I mutter, shooting Annabeth a glare before recapping the milk and sliding it across the counter towards her. If I'm completely honest, it's nice to hear her laugh again especially after she was oddly silent on the ride down. To say the least, Annabeth normally isn't quiet, especially when she can be going on and on about eh architecture or the building of all the houses, bridges, buildings, anything that passes.

My mom clears her throat slightly, "Percy, you know what's in two days…" I freeze, letting the memories flash over in my head: the blue, the red, the fumes… "I really think it's a good thing that you're finally opening up about it to Annabeth."

"I'm not," I state quickly, walking out of the kitchen towards the bathroom. I want to be alone, off the phone, but I know my mom won't take me hanging up on her too kindly. Well, she wouldn't like it at all to say it point blank. "This was Annabeth's idea, not mine." I close the bathroom door behind me, turning the lock and leaning against the door.

"Oh, alright," my mom says lightly, her voice giving away just how disappointed she is in me for not being able to open up to even Annabeth. It took me weeks to open up to my mom, and she has been the only person who I've been able to talk to about it. Most people know _what_ happened that day, but they don't truly know the details. I made my mom promise me that one. To say it has been a long kept secret would be an understatement. There's a pause again where neither of us say anything. "Take good care of Annabeth, alright? She's not just any other girl, Percy."

"I know," I sigh into the line, but I can't help but smile at my mom's warnings. There are times where I wonder if she truly loves Annabeth more than she loves me. Then, I remember all the blue food she makes me and know it can't be true. "I'll see you soon," I pause, before saying the last words. "I love you."

"I love you, too," and I can hear the smile in my mom's voice. "Bye," there's a few seconds worth of pauses where neither one of us can bring ourselves to ending our phone call, but it's ultimately my mom who does.

Pushing myself off the bathroom wall, I walk in front of the white sink, avoiding my own reflecting in the mirror. Slapping the faucet on, I lean my head down and splash the icy water over my face a couple of times. The droplets cascade over my face, washing away all the pieces of memories that were swarming around my head before, or so I hope. Lifting my head up and turning off the faucet, I lean my weight onto the kitchen sink, looking up at my reflection in the mirror. It's me: the dark hair stilling sitting messily even though wet, the sea green eyes, and the orange shirt that I've had for years that's now soaked in water at the shoulders; I still don't understand why it wasn't me.

"Percy?" A muffled voice is accompanied with a knock on the door, and I realize that I must have been in here for a while. "Are you okay?"

I tilt my head back, letting out a couple of deep breaths before pushing off the bathroom sink and moving towards the door. Pulling off the orange t-shirt, I wipe it over my hair before tossing it towards the empty hamper in the corner; I have no idea if I made it in or not. "Hey," I swing open the door, coming face-to-face with the grey eyes that I've become so accustomed to seeing but have missed seeing the past few days. For a while there, I was worried that I had scared her off… Thankfully, it doesn't seem like I have.

"Are you alright?" She looks up towards me, the tear tracks now gone, taking a couple of steps back to let me out of the bathroom. I smirk slightly, enjoying the fact that I'm now taller than Annabeth unlike all the earlier years when she was taller than me; it didn't exactly work out well…for, uh, various reasons.

"Yeah, fine, shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" I ask, walking towards the living room with a couch that my body's aching to just sit on, lie on, or sleep on. Turning my head back slightly, I notice that Annabeth's watching me walk away, and for some reason, I really enjoy that fact…

Sitting on the couch, I slide over to the far end, leaving room for Annabeth. Pausing in front of the couch, she glances down at me, probably enjoying having the height advantage, "Thanks, Percy," before sitting down next to me. Now when I say next to me, I mean directly next to me even though I left her half the couch to sit on; so to say that again, her thigh was rubbing against mine, not that I'm complaining or anything. Well I mean, it's not bad, but I mean, she's my friend, well best friend, so yeah… It's fine?

"What for?" I manage to mutter out even though my brain is turning into seaweed. She shrugs, looking anywhere and everywhere but at me. "Annabeth," I turn towards her, shifting so that I'm completely facing her now. When she still avoids looking at me, I sigh, turning her face towards me, surprised to see the fresh tears that are running down her cheeks. "You know, you can tell me anything, Wise Girl," I whisper, wiping the tears off her cheeks. She nods lightly, and I pull her into my chest as the sobs wrack her body. At first, she's stiff against my chest until she settles in, and her tears run along my chest and down my stomach; if it weren't for the fact that she's crying, it would probably be fairly awkward since I still don't have a shirt on and all.

It's silent for a few minutes, and I wonder if she can feel that my heartbeat's racing like I've just down a hundred laps in the pool. Or, it feels like it's racing to me. Actually, it feels worse than when I do a hundred laps; it feels like its beating faster than any other time before in my life. "For bringing me to Montauk without even asking," she mumbles into my chest, her arms wrapping tighter around my waist.

I rest my chin on her hair lightly, breathing in the light sent of lemons, "Isn't that what best friends are for?"

She lifts herself off my chest, sitting up straight while looking at my quizzically, "Thalia would have asked me until I told her what was up…" Her eyes search my face until they stumble over my chest and eventually reach their way back to my eyes. "I guess, I just wanted to say thanks for that…" Her voice trails off as her stormy grey eyes meet mine, and she holds the gaze. She seems troubled, conflicted over something, but I'm not sure if that's really what's going on, "Just thanks for always being here, Seaweed Brain."

"It's nothin'," I shrug, grabbing two DVDs off the coffee table, knowing that when she's reading to talk about what was up she'd tell me. "Now, Inception or Finding Nemo?" I smirk, as Annabeth rolls her eyes at the second option. I already know which one she's going to choose, but there's no harm in asking. Plus, there's always the chance that she might change her mind. Yeah, not really likely but it's always worth a try.

"Seriously?" But still, she smiles, shaking her head. I nod, waiting for her to choose it already, still hoping that it will end up being Finding Nemo, "Definitely Inception. There's no way we're watching Finding Nemo for the thousandth time." Yeah, looks like she didn't change her mind this go around.

"Come on, what's wrong with Finding Nemo?" I protest, dropping it back on the coffee table, making sure to shoot her a frown. She punches my arm, warranting an "Ow," from me, but I know that it simply means she's feeling at least somewhat better. For that, I would take a thousand punches from Annabeth if it means she's happy. Well, I would like it better if she could be happy and not punch me, but you know what I mean, hopefully…

She rolls her eyes again, grabbing the Inception box out of my hand, pulling out the disk, and playing it in the DVD player, "You're way too into the movie, Seaweed Brain." Grabbing the remote, she sits back down, fast forwarding through the previews. She never will tell me how she does that. For some reason, it's always some big secret which she attributes to the fact that I'm the Seaweed Brain, and she's the Wise Girl. "It's almost concerning," she adds in, smirking towards me before completely settling on the couch near my arm.

"I love you, too, Wise Girl," I mutter under my breath, but this time, it feels heavier; this time, it feels like it means a whole lot more than any time before. And then, the movie begins, and I start to get confused all over again just like every other time Annabeth and I have watched this movie. For some reason, she likes the whole puzzle thing about it, but I just don't get all of the dreams in a dream in a dream in a dream in a dream in a dream. Oh, in a dream, can't forget that one because that's really the best about the movie. _That_ in a dream, not all the other ones or anything…

I jolt awake when his wife starts screaming at the elevator cage to feel a weight against my shoulder than I didn't notice was there before. Can I just mention how much I hate that part of the movie? Glancing down, I see blonde curls sprawled out against my shoulder, tickling my neck slightly; I wonder when she fell asleep because normally she would scold me whenever I fall asleep during Inception. Plus, she always made sure I saw the elevator part which still scares me every time, even though I know it's coming. _Then_, she'll let me go to sleep if only for a little bit. Yeah, let's just say that the dream in a dream in a dream in a dream movie leaves me in a dream. But really, can you blame me? All of those dream things just makes me want to dream myself. Doesn't that happen for everyone?

Still, I smile slightly at her sleeping form lying partially on top of me, not wanting to wake her up. Stretching my legs out on the couch, I try to slide down and not wake her from her sleep. Mumbling slightly, Annabeth just pulls herself into me tighter, rubbing her cheek against my chest before settling again. I chuckle under my breath, being careful not to let it get too loud so as not to wake her. Reaching my right arm over the two of us to the blanket that's lying on the back of the couch, I wrap my left arm around her waist and let the blanket settle over her body. She moves a bit more, tangling her legs with mine before falling back into a comfortable sleep. "You really can tell me anything, Wise Girl," I mumble under my breath, closing my eyes, "and I will always be here for you." I press my lips against her hair lightly, if only I could tell her how I feel about her, but that, that's a time for another day. Hugging her tightly, I let my breath slow to the pace of hers, a simple rhythmic beating that quickly lulls me to sleep.

**...**

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><p><strong>AN: It's about 300 words shorter than I would like, but hey, it is what it is… It's really setting up for things to start moving forward, and more will be explained as it unfolds. I'm really sorry about the long wait, and it's really annoying being a busy as I am…<strong>

**I just really hope you guys liked it, and I'm genuinely sorry.**

**~Jam.**

**P.S. I wanted to let you guys know I now have fanfic tumblr where you can constantly bug me (send me asks about when I'm going to update) and know what's going up with my whole updating and whatnot. It's my penname (allstarry707) . tumblr. com. Or, you can get the link off my fanfic profile.  
>xx<br>**

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><p><strong>Anonymous Review Replies<br>(Thank you all for taking the time to read and review.)**

_**Guest (A-plus) – Ahh, nope it didn't. And no problem, thanks for reviewing!**_

_**Guest (Woah) – Aw, thank you. I'm glad that you were able to see and pick those out. Wow, thanks a lot for that one. It truly means a lot to me.**_

_**Noah – hope this was soon enough… :/**_

_**Lily – Hola y gracias! Wow, thanks so much! I really do plan to keep updating; I'm just, unfortunately, busy. That means a lot to me, really.**_

_**Guest (hate Nico) – Ooh, sorry about that… At least I'm evoking emotion?**_

_**Killintimez4all – Thanks!**_

_**Sean – Hm, that would be just a tad bit predictable, I think. Plus, that last chapter was all falling actin anywho from the earlier climax. Welp, I guess because I'm a dancer I think dancing is kind of exciting, and then, I also think it's kind of what the dance represents. But, that may just be me. Thanks for the suggestion, though!**_

_**Younggurl – Oh wow, thank you so much. That truly means a lot me. Thanks for being patient. I understand if that whole patient thing ended, though… I hope that I can. :)**_

_**Impatient gal – Hi. Thanks. Sorry 'bout that one…**_

_**Sorry to everyone for the short replies; I was/am wiped out. Stinks being sick.**_


	9. Avoidance, Argumentation, Awareness

**_Chase's Pain_****  
>Summary: <strong>A perfect plan. After Annabeth's reputation is ruined and she can no longer take having a womanizer as a best friend, what will she do when Thalia comes up with the perfect plan? It can fix Annabeth's reputation and revert him back to his old, caring self. But there's only one problem: Annabeth would have to date and dump her best friend, Percy Jackson. Will she really risk it all?

**Thanks Yous: **_Blondie B. Happy, Awesomel, Golden Drachma, CimFan, northstarwarriorqueen, emmalunajackson33, Guest, epicsilverbullet, Codex, Pug1998, I Am Noah Son Of Ares, yanksrock615, pepperose, Annabeth Chase's Half – Sister, Altairius, Child of Athens, blaxe27713, Troubled PuRpLe._**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>Do, do, do, I don't own PJO.

**Warnings:** Eh, some mild language.

**A/N: ** Hello… So, I'm thankful to no longer have the flu, and I'm proud to say the ball is now rolling with this story. Hm, I don't have much else to say I suppose… Oh, you'll probably like the ending ;)

**Hope you enjoy.  
>xx<strong>

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><p><strong><em>Nine.<em>**

**Avoidance, Argumentation, Awareness**

**_Annabeth's POV_**

I wake up early, my body lying partially against Percy's, a blanket strewn over us. If it weren't for the hurt and anger tumbling through my brain, I probably would have registered the fact that I fell asleep on Percy and felt a blush travel to my cheeks; I don't because I don't register it. In fact, I feel numb as I carefully remove my body from Percy's, trying to keep my footsteps quiet as I pad into the beach house's kitchen.

I don't know why I'm here. No, I know exactly what drove me to be here. I don't know why I thought dragging Percy along would help at all, especially after what I had agreed to earlier. But what scares me the most, it's the fact that I don't even regret agreeing to it yet. Yes, that's what is scariest of all.

Grabbing a mug out of the kitchen, I quickly put it back and slam the cabinet door when I see that it's a mug I gave Percy back when we were six or so. It has my distinct handwriting on it, only a little bit messier than it is now. I can't use it; I can't remember all the memories that we have together. But worst of all, the memories don't seem to do anything to bring me out of my numb state, and for some reason, I love that fact. I love the fact that I'm numb and don't seem to have a single care in the world. Nevertheless, there's a part of me that isn't numb, the part that replays the hurt and anger on a continuous loop through my brain. Yes, that part of me is certainly far from numb.

"You're up early," I hear Percy's unmistakable morning voice and let out a shaky breath. I didn't expect him to be up so earlier; I had figured I would have the time to be alone and get everything under control, to process everything. It seems I originally was wrong.

I nod, pushing off from the kitchen counter. "Yeah, I am," I mutter, wishing that he would just go back to sleep but knowing that he won't.

"It's seven in the morning," he groans, his black hair now visible as he sits up from the couch. I twirl a curl absentmindedly, turning away from the couch to do something, anything, to keep me busy and not focused on the Seaweed Brain in front of me. Grabbing a glass, I fill it with water from the tap, taking a sip to only spit it out at the fact that it's lukewarm. "You okay?" I hear Percy from behind me, almost jumping as he places a hand on my shoulder.

_He's worried_, I'm certain, but I don't need for him to be worried. I want him to hate me for what I've done. "I'm fine," I shrug his hand on my shoulder, quickly turning on my heel to move towards the steps. I have to get away from him; I can't be near him without remembering what I've done and the fact that I'm not at all angered by my actions.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" His voice carries to me, freezing me momentarily on the steps that I've halfway bounded.

I glance quickly towards him, noticing the way his dark eyes plead towards me, the care apparent in them. _What have I done?_ the small ounce of my rational that's left in my brain asks me. But, that small ounce is no match for the greater majority of my brain that's numb. "I..I just want to be left alone," I manage to get out before turning again and walking the rest of the stairs, though not quick enough for my liking.

_What have I done?_

**…**

Percy doesn't attempt to talk to me for most of the day, besides when he brings me soup for lunch and leaves snacks outside the door on a tray. I know he wants to talk, and I know I can't talk to him. How could I possibly expect for him to be there for me after he learns what I've done? It wouldn't be right for me to use him like that, however I can't help but yearn to talk to him every time I hear his footsteps pause outside my door but continue shortly thereafter down the hall.

It didn't take me long to realize that I stumbled into the guest room due to the lack of pictures and empty drawers. I had figured that Percy would have had me stay in this room anyways, so I didn't feel bad making myself at home—Percy also brought me a blanket during one of his earlier drop-offs. I sigh, running my finger along the edge of the bed as I block out all memories of my father and Percy. It's harder to do with the latter as I'm used to doing such when it comes to the former. They're random memories of him although all are happy, filled with his smile, his laugh, and his confused expression as I explain something to him that he didn't originally understand. Then, he would grin goofily in the memory version of him, something that he only seems to do around—

"Annabeth," his knock against the door breaks me out of my thought. I bite my lip, not certain as to what I should do this time; he hasn't attempted to actually talk to me for hours. "Are you awake?" He mutters, and I hear his frustrated sigh at the end, a silence left for me to answer.

I shift awkwardly on the bed, rolling my lip between my teeth. I don't want to face him, yet I don't want to sit here and then feel bad for not telling him that I am awake. "Yeah…" I say, loud enough for him to hear but still muffled due to the fact that a part of me doesn't want to alert him to that fact.

It's silent for a bit besides a light tapping which I imagine to be Percy's finger pads against the wooden door. "Can I come in?" He finally asks, his voice unsteady as the tapping against the door picks up at a faster pace. Either he's nervous, or he's standing still, one of those being the reason for his insistent tapping.

"Sure…" I ultimately decide, watching as the door knob turns hesitantly, and Percy soon walks in, staying at the doorframe. I raise an eyebrow, curious as to why he opted to not even completely walk into the room. "Hi," I say lightly, releasing the lip that I had been biting.

"Hey," he breathes, scratching the back of his head as he takes another step into the room. His eyes scan over all different aspects of the room, appearing to focus on anything but me. If I didn't know any better, I probably would have surmised that he was merely observant; I knew better. "So…" he pauses, glancing towards me quickly before he fumbles with closing the door, "I was thinking we could go out and do something?"

I regard him lazily, noticing how he's wearing a different shirt and shorts than what he had worn earlier. "What were you thinking of doing?" I sigh, knowing that I can't avoid him forever. Plus, there is no way I'm getting home without a. taking his keys or b. getting a ride from Percy. He definitely wouldn't appreciate the first one, anyways.

He shrugs, leaning against the door. "Don't know… Probably just walking along the beach or something. I didn't really think that far ahead," he adds in with a goofy smile on his face.

I roll my eyes. "Of course," I mutter, knowing that thinking ahead has never been one of Percy's strong suits. Swimming? Now that's one of his strong suits. Thinking ahead? Yeah, not so much… "Walking along the beach sounds… fine," I decide, not having a better suggestion to give at the moment. If I was to disagree, he would expectantly wait for me to come up with a better answer. I didn't want to see his look of rejection when I ultimately had no better suggestion and opted out of doing anything with him.

"Alright," he nods, grabbing the tray that I set on the desk next to the door, "I'll see you in five, then." He tosses a grin on his face before leaving the room and shutting the door after him.

I wait for his footsteps to finally be out of earshot to sigh frustratingly into a pillow on the bed. _Seriously_? A walk on the beach? _Anything_ would have been better than that considering the fact that I desperately want to avoid talking to Percy at all costs. No, that's not entirely true. I actually want to avoid _Percy_ at all costs because I know what will end up happening when we walk along the coastline of the beach. He'll do something to make me want to talk, and I'll end up unfolding everything to him about what happened. Then, he'll be the incredibly sweet Percy that I desperately do not want to remember and be there for me and tell me that everything will be alright.

_How could I possibly agree to a walk on the beach?_ Of course, that ounce of rational brain obviously wasn't the one to give the answer back but the numb side that has no regard for the fact that I can't just let Percy be my rock anymore. Not with how far I've gone already, at least… _No,_ _I won't tell him, then,_ I decide, pressing my phone into my pocket after clearing away the notifications for a couple missed calls and text messages. I will do anything and everything in my power to avoid telling Percy.

Pushing off the bed, I pace the room, devising the best plan to avoid telling Percy. Obviously, the best way to do that is to simply not tell him, but I know that if he asks, he'll see right away that I'm keeping something from him. And although he didn't do it earlier, he'll press me about it this time. _Of course_, my thoughts then become aligned, _I'll focus on the one thing that will require extreme attention from me…_

Having devised my plan, one that I'll probably regret in retrospect, I tumble down the stairs to find Percy placing dishes away into cabinets. I pause, watching the way he does it carefully, something that I'm not entirely used to, the part where Percy's clean that is. _Act normal_, I remind myself, taking the last stairs a bit nosier than need be. "Since when did you actually clean up after yourself?" I tease, attempting to make my tone of voice something close to that of what it normally would be.

He looks towards me, tossing the sponge haphazardly into the sink as he puts the last plate into the cabinet. "I'm actually cleaning up after you," he retorts easily, reminding me of the fact that he's not the same Seaweed Brain that he was when we were twelve.

I purse my lips, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. "Sorry about that," I mumble, following his movements with my eyes as he grabs keys off the kitchen counter and moves towards me. _Normal, Annabeth, saying sorry isn't normal_. "You should have told me, and I would have done it myself," I snap, feeling that it's something more natural for me to say than apologizing. Yes, in other circumstances, I wouldn't apologize.

Percy chuckles, his eyes lighting up in a way that I'm not used to, and for a second, I lose track of what he's saying, "—do something for you once in a while. My mom would make me do it if she were here anyways."

I roll my eyes, considering every action that I take now and wishing that I could _actually_ just be normal instead of having to act it. "She's not here, so you don't have to do it," I remark, turning on my heels to walk towards the door. When I don't hear his footsteps, I turn around to see him leaning against the doorframe himself, watching me with an expression that I can't place. "You're staring," I observe, raising an eyebrow in response to his actions.

He shakes his head as if dispelling a thought before walking towards the door with me. "I didn't realize," he mutters unconvincingly before sliding in front of me to open the door. He pauses, the door partially open to turn around and face me with his startlingly green eyes that echo the serious expression on his face. "You haven't been here since middle school, have you?" I shake my head, watching the stormy emotions roll over his eyes before he breaks his gaze away from me. "I thought so," I hear him mutter under his breath before he swings open the door and walks through.

Middle school was when it all changed.

I follow behind Percy out the door, to stand on the patio looking out at the lapping water against the coast and multiple bodies lounging on towels against the sandy mounds. I smile as my sight catches that of a couple kids making sand castles near the shore, wondering if they'll decide to create a mote or not to keep the water at bay. "It's nice, isn't it?" Percy's words tickle my neck as he rests his hands on my shoulders.

I nod, stepping to the side to allow Percy to lead the way. "It's better than I remember," I state, glancing up to seagulls screeching overhead. Yeah, I don't exactly miss hearing that noise…

"Always is," Percy mumbles, coming to walk in front of me, and I'm certain that he wasn't talking about the beach with the last thing he said.

Following him, I take the steps easily, letting the sun's rays beat against my skin. "Is your mom okay with us being here?" I impulsively ask, wishing that I hadn't the second it leaves my mouth. By asking that, I'm merely guiding Percy into asking me what led me to want to get away from home for a while, and that, if I follow my plan, is not something I want to disclose.

"Sure, why wouldn't she be?" He asks, slowing his pace to walk side by side with me.

I bite lip, easily thinking of multiple reasons as to why Percy's mom wouldn't be okay with it. "Um," I begin, letting go of the lip I was biting, "you see, I'm a girl, and you're a boy…" Trailing off, I glance upwards to see that Percy does not appear to be catching on to what I'm saying. _Typical Seaweed Brain_. "We're teenagers, alone at the beach house," I further explain, navigating around a lady lying down on a towel.

"Oh," Percy says, still seeming not to understand what I'm saying. "_Oh,_" the recognition is obvious as he looks away from me towards the shore, "I… Well, I guess… You know, my mom isn't worried about that… because, well, you're… you know… Annabeth." He sputters, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

I raise an eyebrow, amused with his response. "I'm Annabeth?" I question, honestly not sure what Percy's getting at and whether or not he's giving me a backwards compliment.

"Yeah?" He asks, picking up his pace as moves up towards the coastline. _Maybe picking the walk along the beach wasn't such a bad idea._ I send him a pointed look to which Percy actually says something to answer what I was asking. "What I meant…" He glances towards me once again before looking where he's going, "My mom would never think you would try something like that…"

"Oh," I remark _so_ sensibly, but I just never expected that to be the response, as Percy so bluntly put it. "I guess I don't live up to my _Prostichase_ reputation," I tease lightly at the expense of myself.

Percy flips around quickly, anger evident in his eyes. "Don't call yourself that," he commands, turning on his heel to walk towards the shore again, not slowing his pace so that I can keep up.

I don't try to keep up with him as I replay the way he quickly turned towards me, his green eyes dark with anger. I knew he didn't like the nickname, but I figured he would be able to discern that I was merely joking. I obviously know that I'm not a prostitute, no matter what the nickname says. Sure, I hate the nickname as much as anyone else who was dubbed it would, but I know it isn't true… And, well, that makes it a little bit better, doesn't it? Glancing down at the prints I make in the sand, I wonder if that nickname will follow me when I go to college, if I'll be unlucky enough to go to the same college as someone like Mark or one of his buddies. But then, _Percy_ is one of Mark's friends, himself…

Looking up again, I see his messy black hair already at the coast, his back to me as he sits down. It's obvious there's something bothering him by the way he seems to just drop to the sand, throwing his sneakers to the side. I sigh, picking up to a jog to get to him quicker, knowing that we have to talk now, no matter what I may or may not want to do.

When my strides finally bring me to him, I slip off my sneakers and take a seat next to him, feeling the cool water lap against my toes before it recedes further away. "I was just joking," I explain over the noise of the water and other beach commotion around us.

"Just don't call yourself it," he states simply, tossing a lump of sand into the water before droplets of water hit us as a result. It's obvious that he wants to say more by the way he clenches his jaw and turns away from me.

"Yo—"

"Hi," a girl in a skimpy black bikini interrupts, tossing her hair over her other shoulder and off her back. She gives us, no _Percy_, a timid smile before shifting her weight to her other foot. _She has _amazing_ timing._ "I don't meant to interrupt, your, um, girlfriend?" She questions, glancing towards me for the first time since she has been talking.

"I'm not his girlfriend," I explain curtly, knowing that Percy's pissed with me and would probably love to walk away from me if he could. Yeah, we are definitely far from boyfriend and girlfriend.

The girl nods, twirling a strand of caramel hair in her finger. "Oh, alright," she sends me a quick smile, her blue eyes focusing on Percy once again. She seems to be everything I'm not, and I know right away that she's here to make a move on Percy. _Of course,_ there's no place I can go to escape the fact that my best friend can have anyone he wants and makes use of that regularly. "Well, you see, my friends forced me to come over here, not that I didn't want to, but you know…" She laughs uncomfortably, shifting her weight to her other foot. _Get on with it._ "Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come over with us? We were going to play chicken, and I needed a partner. I'd offer you to be on top, but I don't think that'd work well…"

Percy sends her a smile, the anger in his eyes gone, and I'm certain he's about to take her up on her offer. "Chicken's a nice game," he says simply, cocking his head back to look up at her face. "I'd play, but I'm not really in the mood for it." _Wait, he rejected her?_ Of course, he obviously wants to blow up at me instead…

"Oh, alright," the girl smiles slightly, "I told my friends you weren't going to anyways. They didn't believe me but thanks anyways." The girl jogs away, her hair tossed into the wind.

"Chicken's a nice game," I snap, coolly mocking what Percy said to the girl.

"Leave it alone, Annabeth," he warns, his tone level.

I don't. "If we were at home, you would have accepted. So what's different now?" I remark, angered that Percy has the audacity to warn me to not comment on his different ways. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that for _some_ reason Percy broke from his normal pattern of taking up any and every girl that threw herself at him.

He shook his head, turning his rolling eyes towards me. "What did you want me to do? Say yes and leave you here?"

"No!" I reply quickly, knowing that I didn't want him to go off and play chicken with the girl, but I also don't want him here now. "I wouldn't want you getting mad if some kid used a stupid nickname," I snap, getting back to the real issue at hand.

"Prostichase isn't just some stupid nickname," he retorts as if I have no idea that is the case in the first place. "You're so damn stubborn that you make everything harder," he laments, less anger in his voice than before.

"I'm not," I quickly respond, gazing out at the water instead of at the person next to me, knowing that looking at him won't help a single thing in the first place.

He chuckles without any real humor behind it. "Perfect example, you won't just admit that you're stubborn. You're ridiculous," he adds, shaking his head angrily.

"At least I don't act like a player," I dig, greatly wanting to get up and leave but choosing to wait and see how my comment will affect Percy.

There's silence, and I almost turn my head to see Percy's expression, keyword being almost. "A player," he runs the words in his mouth as if tasting them for the first time, "you think I'm player?"

"No," I say, wanting to take back what I said more than anything with the way his words dripped with hurt, "I don't think you are." _Yeah, this walking along the beach was a horrible mistake._

"You just said I act like one," he says calmly, running his feet deeper into the water as it nips at my toes.

I shake my head, biting my lip at the hole I'm digging myself into, "I say a lot of things…?" Yeah, I know, it's a lame excuse however there isn't a lot you can say in a situation such as this, especially when the tension is palpable.

I glance towards him to see him rolling his jaw as he purses his lips. "Yeah, you say everything except what the hell happened between you and Luke. Everything but that," he snaps, kicking the water as it begins to come towards us once again.

"It doesn't matter," I remark, digging my hands into the sand and letting go of the grains shortly thereafter.

"Really it doesn't? So, I should just sit back and let a dick like Mark act like he knows more than me?" Percy questions angrily before standing up and walking away, further down the coast. I watch his form grow smaller as he kicks clumps of sand into the water.

Standing up, I consider following after him but only for a split second. If he wanted to talk, he would have stayed, and I know that my following after him will do nothing to help. Glancing down, I grab Percy's shoes, knowing that there is a chance it will be high tide tonight, and they might wash out into the ocean. Sure, I consider letting them wash away for a second, but I ultimately decide that I'm not _that_ mad at him.

Without much else to do, I aimlessly walk along the shore for who knows how long before deciding that I might as well make my way back to the beach house. Kicking up sand as I go, I make my way back to the house. No matter how much thinking I attempt to do, I can't seem to place what would anger Percy as much as whatever it was did. Sure, I never told him what occurred regarding Luke, but that is due to the fact that it's embarrassing how my first, real relationship ended. Plus, Percy never had liked Luke, and I have always felt he will merely say I told you so when he finds out. I'm not one to so easily sacrifice my pride, especially not over a jerk like Luke.

Making my way up the stairs, I pause on the last step, remembering how Percy made sure to lock the door before leaving. By the lack of lights on in the house, I'm certain he hasn't returned yet. Taking a seat on the step, I watch a pair of kids chasing each other on the beach before one trips, and the other doubles over laughing. I smile without thinking, remembering how much easier things are at that age and wanting greatly to go over there and tell the kids to cherish that age. I don't though but opt instead to bite my lip at the other memory that comes along with that age: my first crush. Unsurprisingly, it was on the black haired kid who's now mad at me and storming off somewhere. Although I'd like to think that it ended a long while ago, the crush was really only paused during the period that I dated Luke. And, sure, Percy could be a rather large player in school, but it was the Percy that I saw outside of school that caused me to get butterflies and all of that other crush-like stuff which I never truly speak of with anyone.

It's really not that hard to like Percy anyways, including for me. In fact, it's probably easier for me than anyone else.

I see the best Percy there is, the one outside of school with the goofy grin and ridiculous antics. It's that Percy that still makes me pause when speaking or lose my train of thought, and that was always the problem. But recently, it hasn't happened. Recently, I haven't seen that Percy, so it's easy to push my feelings away.

"Hey," out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark haired figure moving towards me, an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry about earlier," the figure speaks, taking the stairs while fishing into his pocket for the keys. "You don't have to tell me anything about Luke. I just… I'm your best friend, and when you don't tell me things, it feels like you don't trust me." He shrugs, pulling the keys out and sticking one into the door.

"I'm sorry, too," I mumble, thankful that Percy merely waves a hand as if to put it off before turning towards me with a grin on his face. I've never been that great at apologizing anyways.

"How about I make it up to you…" I raise an eyebrow, waiting for his proposition. "I'll watch whatever movie you want, and if it's not here, we can buy it on demand." I pause, waiting for more to be added onto the deal to make it worth my while. He sighs, but his grin only becomes bigger. "We'll have whatever you want for dinner today too," he shakes his head, walking into the beach house. I don't follow right away, pausing at the threshold of the house as Percy leaves the keys in the door for me to lock it.

Until today.

I have been able to push my feelings away until today, and _that_ is the real problem.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that is Annabeth's real problem. Or, is it really a problem? Plus, what happened with her dad, and what did she agree to that has her no longer wanting to confide in Percy? Hm, I don't have much to say this go around… Hm, hm, hm, hm. Welp, the stuff about Percy and Annabeth that occurred in the previous chapter at the beginning? I haven't forgotten about that. **

**Oh, I also feel that I should explain why this wasn't updated earlier; I updated ****_Only Thirty Days,_**** fell in love with that story again, wrote a 19k+ Christmas one shot for Percabeth, and watched some Boy Meets World episodes as well as Ellen episodes. So yeah, that's my excuse. It has been under a month, though, so that's good! ;D**

**Until next timeee,  
><strong>

**~ Jammm.  
>26 RAK.<strong>

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><p><strong><em>Anonymous Review Replies<br>(Thanks for taking the time to read and review)_**

_Guest – hope this is soon enough!_

_Codex – Ahh, hope this wasn't too long of a wait._


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